Table of Contents
Key Points
- SeamlessHR raises $9 million Series-A extension to scale AI-powered HR tools and payroll tech across Africa.
- Funding boost to expand embedded finance solutions, offering critical credit for housing, education, and more.
- SeamlessHR’s platform manages payroll for 300,000+ employees across 20 countries, securing its leadership in HR tech.
SeamlessHR, a payroll and HR software company led by Nigerian tech entrepreneur Emmanuel Okeleji, has raised a $9 million Series-A extension from the Gates Foundation and Helios Digital Ventures, solidifying its position as a pioneer in Africa’s workforce digitization and financial inclusion landscape.
The company continues to scale its operations, providing innovative solutions to empower businesses across Africa. The funding will accelerate the company’s deployment of AI-powered HR tools, embedded finance solutions, and cutting-edge payroll technologies, enabling enterprises to streamline workforce management and boost productivity.
Driving financial inclusion through embedded finance solutions
This latest funding round follows the launch of embedded finance products, addressing critical financing gaps for employers and employees in a fast-evolving economic environment.
With this strategic move, SeamlessHR plans to expand its embedded finance offerings, which enable employees to access responsible credit tied to their employment. This expansion is designed to ease financial stress in the face of global economic challenges, offering essential credit products for needs such as housing, education, transportation, and food.
SeamlessHR CEO, Emmanuel Okeleji emphasized the company’s dual mission: “We’ve become Africa’s leading HR and payroll provider, and with this investment, we’re expanding our embedded finance offerings to help millions of employees access critical financial services that can improve their quality of life.”
Strategic support from major investors
The support from the Gates Foundation and Helios Digital Ventures will provide the necessary backing to scale SeamlessHR’s operations. Fope Adelowo, Managing Partner at Helios Digital Ventures, highlighted the company’s impact on Africa’s workforce ecosystem: “SeamlessHR is at the forefront of workforce digitization, bridging the gap to financial inclusion with innovative salary assurance and wage access solutions.”
Uche Amaonwu, Nigeria Country Director at the Gates Foundation, added: “SeamlessHR’s growth presents a tremendous opportunity to improve financial access for millions of Africans, particularly in addressing rising living costs in markets like Nigeria.”
A track record of rapid growth
Founded in 2018 by Okeleji and Deji Lana, SeamlessHR is a Lagos-based HR tech startup committed to providing world-class technology solutions to manage and streamline HR data and workflow. As the first locally managed HR company in Africa, SeamlessHR caters to the HR needs of employers across the continent, helping businesses leverage their human capital.
Under Okeleji and Lana, the company’s platform serves nearly 2,000 businesses, managing payroll for over 300,000 employees across 20 countries. In 2023, SeamlessHR processed over $311 million in payroll transactions, solidifying its position as Africa’s HR tech leader.
