Christine Hall at Crunchbase covered the announcement that Odeko and Cloosiv are merging and had closed a $12 million Series A funding round, adding to Odeko’s $14 million seed round and Cloosiv’s $2.1 million. In addition to touting Odeko’s upcoming launch in Philadelphia (September 1!), the piece offers some more insight around Dane Atkinson and Tim Griffin’s decision to combine forces.

“This economy has meant devastation for coffee shops,” Dane Atkinson, Odeko CEO, told Crunchbase News. “We had previously met Cloosiv, and when COVID-19 hit we thought, here is a partner we like, and in this storm, it’s better to have more boats together so we can weather the storm.”

Hall’s article nailed Odeko’s purpose—to help independent coffee shops remain independent and thrive, becoming pillars of their communities.

Odeko also aims to be a stable entity during this challenging ecosystem, helping small businesses that don’t have the funds to hire developers or pay fees to food delivery companies.

Read the full article over at Crunchbase.