As of mid-September, HR software startups globally have raised a collective $1.9 billion, per Crunchbase — just under the $2 billion raised by such startups in all of 2024. U.S.-based human resources software startups have raised a combined $1.2 billion, up from the $1.1 billion raised in all of 2024.

It’s important to note that while funding may be on an uptick this year, investment is still among the lowest it’s been in several years. The $2 billion raised in 2024 was not only far less than the $10.5 billion peak in 2021 — when startup investment overall was inflated — but also lower than all the years prior since 2018.

Fewer, bigger deals

Notably, deal count in 2025 is proportionally lower, both globally and in the U.S, signaling larger round sizes for HR-related startups.

The dollar total raised so far this year was across 236 deals. That compares to $2 billion across 419 deals in all of 2024. In the U.S., the total raised was across 95 deals, versus $1.1 billion raised across 168 transactions all of last year.

Indeed, a few huge deals have taken place in 2025. San Francisco-based HR tech startup in May raised at a $16.8 billion valuation. At that time, the 9-year-old company also announced it was conducting a $200 million tender offer to provide current and former employees with some liquidity. Its backers include ,,,, 1Ěý˛ą˛Ô»ĺ , among others.

Also in May, Utah-based secured $165 million in , propelling it to unicorn status. Investors include , and . The 14-year-old company has built an employee recognition software and rewards platform.

In July, , a 7-year-old San Francisco-based startup that has built an “all-in-one” AI-powered platform designed to help businesses more efficiently manage the recruitment process, announced a $50 million Series D.

Ashby told Crunchbase News that it more than doubled its customer base over the past year — from about 1,300 to more than 2,700 — and saw its ARR jump by 135%. Those customers are a high-profile bunch, including the likes of startups , , , and , as well as enterprises such as and .

As the workforce has become more global — especially since the COVID pandemic led to more remote and hybrid work — the competition for hiring and retaining employees has intensified. On top of that, managing an existing workforce is more complex than ever. It’s no surprise, then, that HR software has become the digital infrastructure to help companies become more competitive and manage all the complexities. Add to that the increased popularity and usage of artificial intelligence to automate business processes, and it’s no wonder more companies in the space are raising capital.

, general partner at and an Ashby investor, told Crunchbase News earlier this year: “The world is entering a new infrastructure cycle. Every system that companies rely on — CRM, ERP, finance, security, and yes, hiring — is being rebuilt with AI at the core,” he said.

M&A dealmaking ticks up too

M&A activity for HR-related startups has also been robust, mirroring an overall surge in mergers and acquisitions among venture-backed companies.

Earlier this week, HR software giantĚýĚýannounced plans toĚýĚý, which describes itself as an AI company building the next generation of enterprise knowledge tools, for $1.1 billion.

Founded in 2016, Stockholm, Sweden-based Sana had raised nearly $140 million in funding, per Crunchbase , from investors such as ,,, and.

The deal announcement followed one a few weeks earlier from Workday, which said it also plans to acquire , an AI-powered hiring startup that helps employers capture and screen candidates, improve conversions and answer candidate questions. The 9-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona-based company had in funding, according to Crunchbase, from investors including , , , and .

In April, , parent company of , and , it would buy , a provider of HR and benefits solutions for small and mid-market businesses.

And as more venture dollars continue to flow into the space, expect to see more M&A activity that follows.

Related Crunchbase query:

Related reading:

• Exclusive: With OpenAI and Shopify As Customers, Ashby Raises $50M Series D For AI-Powered Talent Platform

Illustration:

In this week’s edition of Who’s Hiring In Tech, we round up five fintech startups that have raised money in the past 12 months, that haven’t had reported layoffs in the past year, and that are actively hiring for multiple open roles.

Farther down, you’ll find a complete list of 349 Actively Hiring startups across sectors that meet that criteria.

5 Funded Fintech Startups That Are Hiring

Company:

• Position: Director of sales
• Salary: Base salary is listed at $150K-$175K, though of course earnings potential is much higher including commission. (The company estimates total on-target earnings could be as high as $350K.)
• Location: San Francisco
• What it does: Finix is a payment processing platform for businesses.
• Why it’s cool: If you’re an ambitious sales leader looking to take the reins of the revenue team at a well-funded startup, this looks like a pretty neat gig. The company is looking for someone with at least eight years of experience at SaaS companies and six or more years of experience in a leadership role, specifically managing a revenue organization.
• Funding history: Finix has raised a total of $126 million from investors, including , , , and more.

To learn more about this role and others, click Actively Hiring in

….

Company:

• Position: Lifecycle marketing manager
• Salary: $130K-$150K
• Location: Wealthfront is based in Palo Alto, California, but the position is open to remote candidates in both the U.S. and Canada.
• What it does: Wealthfront is an online wealth management platform that offers automated investing and portfolio management tools, savings accounts, loans and other products.
• Why it’s cool: The company is looking for an experienced lifecycle marketer who is comfortable with data and analytics and enjoys working closely with other teams. Among the benefits that Wealthfront offers —Ěýbesides standard startup perks like generous vacation time and wellness reimbursements — are 16 weeks of paid parental leave, 401K plans, and an employee investing discount.
• Funding history: Wealthfront has raised a total of $274.2 million, though it’s been a while since its last raise — its Series E was way back in 2018. The company is backed by big-name investors including , , and .

To learn more about this role and others, click Actively Hiring in

….

Company:

• Position: Strategy and new business associate
• Salary: N/A
• Location: Remote, based in Mexico.
• What it does: Tribal provides credit cards and other financial services to small businesses and startups in emerging markets.
• Why it’s cool: This seems like a nice challenge for an ambitious finance geek to help a U.S.-based fintech expand its business in the fast-growing Mexican market. Tribal is looking for someone with two to three years of experience in investment banking or a similar field to “actively participate in all aspects of fundraising efforts, from strategic planning to execution, including creating compelling narratives, preparing materials and analysis, engaging in conversations with investors, supporting the due diligence process, and assisting in valuation discussions.” It goes without saying, but you need to be fluent in Spanish as well.
• Funding history: Tribal has from investors including , and .

To learn more about this role and others, click Actively Hiring in

….

Company:

• Position: Private equity data operations analyst
• Salary: $60K
• Location: The company is based in Brooklyn but says its culture is remote- and hybrid-work friendly.
• What it does: Chronograph’s platform is used by institutional investors to analyze private capital markets.
• Why it’s cool: This early-career position is part of Chronograph’s two-year analyst program, which positions successful employees to be promoted into associate manager roles at the company. The company says it’s an opportunity for someone to “gain deep experience in alternative assets at a market-leading fintech company focused on the space.”
• Funding history: Chronograph has raised a total of $20 million, including from and .

To learn more about this role and others, click Actively Hiring in

….

Company:

• Position: Product manager, fintech.
• Salary: $100K-$150K
• Location: Scratchpay is based in Los Angeles, but the position is remote-friendly.
• What it does: Scratchpay helps veterinary practices provide financing options to their patients (or, more precisely, to their patients’ human benefactors). The company says its payment plans are used in more than 10,000 veterinary care practices across the U.S. and Canada — including pet dentists and pet optometrists (who knew that was a thing?).
• Why it’s cool: Love pets but your skillset is more on the tech and numbers side? This could be a cool gig. The company says it’s looking for someone with at least two years of product management experience who enjoys working very cross-functionally on a small team.
• Funding history: Scratchpay has , according to its Crunchbase profile, from and , among others. led its Series C in September.

To learn more about this role and others, click Actively Hiring in

Methodology:

Crunchbase News editors select interesting roles to feature based on ’s Actively Hiring and funding filters. We looked for companies that are tagged as Actively Hiring — meaning they have multiple open roles listed — within Crunchbase, and have recently raised new funding. We only include companies that have raised at least $1 million in total funding.

We mostly look at U.S. roles, but also feature other locations, and cross-reference companies with our Layoffs Tracker to avoid featuring those that recently laid off employees. Deciding which roles to feature is ultimately based on editors’ discretion.

• at your company for consideration in this feature.

• Have a correction for this list? Email me at mvanromburgh@crunchbase.com.

• Learn more about how Crunchbase’s Actively Hiring filter works.

Illustration: Dom Guzman