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Find a co-founder for your HR tech startup

HR tech covers startups that equip human resources teams, from recruitment and onboarding to payroll, training, performance reviews, time management and wellbeing at work.

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In short

To find an HR tech co-founder, specify the HR process you want to improve (recruitment, onboarding, payroll, training, engagement) and the size of company you are targeting, publish your project for free on EasyCofounder naming the missing profile, then test your solution with a few HR managers before committing to a partnership.

The founding team often brings together a technical profile able to handle sensitive personal data and integrate the product with existing payroll software, an HR professional who knows the real pain points of HR teams, and someone used to selling to HR directors as well as to small business owners.

On EasyCofounder, describe the process you are targeting, your customers and your first conversations with HR managers, state the role on offer, then talk to HR, software and sales talent looking for a project to join from the start.

Selling HR software in the UK and Ireland means fitting into an existing stack of payroll, applicant tracking and HR information systems, so buyers expect clean integrations, single sign-on and clear answers on where employee data is hosted before they even look at new features.

The most effective teams pair a product engineer who understands permissions, audit trails and data retention with a co-founder who has run people processes in a growing company, and with a seller who can address both the HR lead and the finance director, who often signs the contract.

Building a HR tech startup: what matters

  • Employment law in the background

    Working time, mandatory reviews, employee data and non-discrimination in hiring frame many HR products, and the rules differ from one country to another, so check them with an employment lawyer.

  • Highly sensitive data

    Salaries, appraisals and personal information demand a high level of security and data protection compliance, such as GDPR in Europe, which is a decisive argument for corporate buyers.

  • Large companies or SMEs

    Selling to large companies means long cycles and tenders, while selling to SMEs requires a simple product and efficient acquisition, and the sales co-founder you need depends on that choice.

  • Rules specific to the UK and Ireland

    Right to work checks, the Equality Act 2010 in Great Britain, employment equality legislation in Ireland and UK GDPR or the GDPR all touch HR products, and the ICO and the Workplace Relations Commission publish guidance, but take advice from an employment lawyer for your case.

  • Business models that work

    A monthly subscription per employee is the most common model, sometimes with set-up fees for larger customers, while recruitment tools may charge per job posting or per hire, and payroll-linked products often sell through accountants and bureaus.

  • Meeting HR professionals

    CIPD branches and its Festival of Work, local HR meetups and the partner ecosystems of established payroll and HR software vendors are good places to meet practitioners who could become customers, advisers or co-founders.

Find your co-founder in 4 steps

  1. 1

    Create your free profile

    Describe your skills, your availability and what you bring to a founding team.

  2. 2

    Publish your project

    Say which role you are looking for (CTO, CEO, CMO…), the commitment expected and the equity on offer, in HR tech.

  3. 3

    Let the matching work

    Filter talent by skill and location, or get suggestions of compatible profiles from the AI matching.

  4. 4

    Talk, then meet

    Chat through the built-in messaging, test your collaboration on a first project and put your agreement in writing in a shareholders’ agreement.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a former HR director in the founding team?

Not necessarily an HR director, but someone who has worked in HR helps design a useful product and speak the buyers’ language, which often shortens the first sales cycles.

What technical profile does an HR tech startup need?

A developer comfortable with data security, access rights and integrations with existing payroll and HR software and, depending on the project, a data profile for analytics or recruitment support.

Is AI in recruitment regulated?

Yes. In Europe, recruitment tools must comply with GDPR and non-discrimination rules, and the EU AI Act places certain employment-related uses among those subject to stricter obligations. Check the rules in each market you serve.

Where can I find a co-founder for an HR tech startup?

Publish your project for free on EasyCofounder describing the process you target and the profile you need, then filter talent by skill and sector to talk with HR and software professionals.

Is it better to sell HR tech to SMEs or enterprises in the UK?

SMEs adopt faster and often buy online, but expect a very simple product and low prices, whereas enterprises pay more after procurement and security reviews, so pick one segment for the first year and recruit the co-founder who fits it.

Do HR products need to be accessible?

Employers have duties towards disabled candidates and employees, and accessible design is increasingly expected in tenders, so following recognised web accessibility guidelines from the first version is a sensible choice.

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