Saudi-based employee and HR platform palm.hr aims to streamline HR processes for businesses across the MENA region.
palm.hr, a Saudi-based human resources and employee experience platform, is making strides in regional expansion, with its sights set on Egypt and the UAE. Founded in 2019, the platform offers businesses a portal to streamline work experiences, including onboarding, vacation tracking, payroll, and offboarding. With a focus on configurability, integration, and centralized communication, palm.hr aims to transform the HR technology space and support HR managers and employees alike. The company has already gained traction in Saudi Arabia and is now looking to expand across the GCC by the end of the year.
The three pillars of palm.hr’s strategy
palm.hr’s CEO, Richard Schrems, describes the company’s business strategy as comprising three main pillars. The first is the platform’s high configurability and flexibility, making it easy to adapt to different business structures. The second pillar focuses on integration, with palm.hr working on building the most integrated HR software in the market to merge all relevant information and be the single source of truth for any company’s people data. The platform has already successfully integrated with various Saudi Government Solutions such as GOSI, Mudad, and Muqeem. The third pillar addresses the overload of communication tools used by companies, such as WhatsApp, email, calls, Slack, or meetings. palm.hr provides a centralized communication hub for organizations to stay on top of all tickets and tasks, reducing communication gaps and increasing efficiency.
Schrems emphasizes that palm.hr’s approach is human-centric, with a focus on supporting HR managers and employees through its platform. The company aims to create a seamless experience for both HR managers and employees, offering a desktop experience and intuitive mobile apps. Schrems states, “Both as a software and as an organization, we focus on solving all the problems related to HR and work—for every stakeholder of any organization across Saudi Arabia and beyond.”
Strong support and aggressive goals
Schrems acknowledges the overwhelming support received from the Saudi government, stating that every government organization they dealt with has welcomed and supported them with open arms, contributing to their success. He further explains that the HR space still holds enormous opportunities as organizations in Saudi Arabia and beyond are set to undergo digitalization in the coming years.
In addition to regional expansion, palm.hr has ambitious goals for product development and hiring. Schrems reveals that the company is hiring talent across all functions, with plans to double its current team of 70 within the next 12 months. Furthermore, palm.hr plans to offer financial services through partners on its platform, as well as building a dynamic content library to support customers and employees with insights about labor laws, employment, and career development in Saudi Arabia. Schrems believes this will help nurture and support local talent while attracting international professionals to choose Saudi Arabia as their place to live and work.
Rapid growth and future funding plans
palm.hr recently held a successful pre-series A funding round that raised USD 5 million, co-led by Speedinvest and RAED Ventures with participation from Wamda Capital. Schrems stated that the company will focus on growing its presence in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE, with plans to raise another funding round within the next 12 to 18 months. He emphasized palm.hr’s commitment to providing companies with the tools they need to remain compliant with Saudi nationalization and labor laws, with plans to leverage business data to highlight Saudization achievements in the near future.
Recently, regional HR-related startups are receiving attention, with Bayzat and Elevatus having successful funding rounds.