SeamlessHR raises additional $9m from Gates Foundation, Helios

Africa’s leading Human Resource technology company, SeamlessHR, has announced that it has raised $9 million in its latest funding round from the Gates Foundation and Helios Digital Ventures as it continues to revolutionise the future of workforce productivity in Africa with cutting-edge technology.

This new investment will drive the HR-Tech company’s plan to expand its reach across Africa, enhancing workforce productivity, accelerating business performance through innovative solutions including Embedded Finance offerings and AI-driven workforce management technology.

This investment comes on the back of an impressive run of five years with SeamlessHR’s eponymous software being used by nearly 2000 businesses to manage HR and Payroll processes for about 300,000 employees across 20 African countries.

Commenting on the announcement, SeamlessHR’s Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Emmanuel Okeleji, shared his excitement about the round of funding and the pivotal role his company is playing in directly tackling productivity amongst Africa’s workforce and improving the quality of life of Africa’s hardworking people. “I am really excited about our journey. Over the last five years, we have expanded across the continent to become the dominant HR and Payroll Software for medium to large enterprises in Africa. While we continue to accelerate our work to optimise workforce productivity in both the public and private sectors across the continent, much of our attention will also be on empowering hardworking Africans with responsible credit products that will help them use their employment as collateral to enjoy a better life. The impact of recent global disruptions like the pandemic and various conflicts around the world and its resultant effect on economic indices such as inflation, exchange rates, and food supply, has unfortunately affected the most vulnerable working Africans, leading to worsening poverty. We are confident that our suite of embedded finance products will contribute to alleviating these problems at scale for our people so that working Africans, like people in other parts of the world, will be able to leverage responsible credit, to gain better access to basic life needs like shelter, mobility, food and education. Who better to walk this road with, than the people at the Gates Foundation and Helios and our very supportive earlier investors, who share our passion for the continent,” he said.

Fope Adelowo, Managing Partner at Helios Digital Ventures, said, “We believe technology is the key to unlocking Africa’s immense potential as a global economic force. SeamlessHR is not only pioneering the digitisation of workforce management but also empowering businesses and employees with transformative solutions such as embedded finance. By providing salary assurance and enhanced wage access, they are breaking down barriers to financial inclusion across the continent. We are pleased to partner with SeamlessHR on this exciting journey and look forward to accelerating their impact across Africa in its next phase of growth.”

Uche Amaonwu, Nigeria Country Director of the Gates Foundation, added, “The Gates Foundation is excited about the potential for SeamlessHR to enable access to critical financial services for millions of hard-working, employed Africans. This is particularly relevant in Nigeria for workers to potentially mitigate the increasing cost of living.”

This announcement comes months after SeamlessHR announced the launch of new embedded finance products that enable employers and employees access critical financing solutions, including payroll financing, to fuel their growth and business performance.