During the pandemic, we all got very used to communication with colleagues and teams exclusively using video calls.

This was the case for Evernote co-founder Phil Libin and employees at All Turtles, a product studio focused on innovations in the future of work and future of health.

But the team quickly got bored of having lots of Zoom meetings. Libin tells UNLEASH: “All the meetings sucked – they weren’t effective and it was just lame – so we started goofing around trying  to make people laugh a bit in internal meetings”.

This led to the creation of a startup called mmhmm, which aims to make workplace communication more fun and engaging. It does this with the help of different backgrounds and styles to help make presentations more creative, as well as an upgraded recording.

Now to grow its platform and its mission to have fun with video, mmhmm has acquired startup Macro for an undisclosed sum. Macro created filters, reactions, and other tools to enable people to bring their full selves to video calls.

In a blog post announcing the deal, editorial director at mmhmm Ganda Suthivarakom wrote: “While most other apps in this space focus on productivity, both mmhmm and Macro help people build relationship capital by humanizing video communication. That’s why we’re so excited to welcome Macro’s knowledge and understanding to the mmhmm family.”

Macro’s entire team will join the mmhmm team by the end of November and they will help mmhmm grow its new product: OOO for web.

OOO for web aims to transform passive, formal meetings into more friendly communication between colleagues. Employees can use the platform to have a “cozy fireside chat” with a cabin background or to brainstorm ideas with the help of a whiteboard functionality.

It also differs from other meeting platforms because there is no need for anyone to act as a host and it doesn’t require an app download.

Suthivarakom noted: “It’s fun, collaborative, and it gives people the freedom to move around and express themselves.

“Hang out outside the boxes for a video call setting that feels more relaxed. Host a watch party where everyone in the room can watch (and react to) something together. Facilitate life-like, synchronous discussions around a shared screen.”

Libin told TechCrunch: “What room did they choose? What effects are they doing? It gives everyone more opportunity to be creative and customize how they’re appearing.

“And it becomes a little closer to you and I hanging out in person and getting to know each other. The foundation is far more expressive.”

The future of work is going to require companies to get creative about company culture and how to forge that while teams are distributed between the office and working from home.

Could mmhmm and Macro be the solution?