David Morey 
Spain’s Factorial has just announced a $80 million Series C funding round, bringing their total funding to $120 million. This great milestone comes from strong traction for their “Workday for SMBs” product, which is designed to provide administrative, HR, payroll, and accounting services to small and medium businesses.
This latest funding round will help Factorial continue its strong growth and expand its services to more global organisations.
Overview of Factorial
Factorial is a modern HR platform that provides fast and affordable access to an integrated suite of HR tools. Founded in 2018, the company has raised $80M in Series B funding to drive its mission of simplifying and democratising the HR process. Through its easy-to-use interface and powerful backend system, Factorial helps small to mid-sized businesses manage their employee information, onboarding process, performance tracking, and more quickly and efficiently.
Factorial’s platform is built on four pillars:
- Employee data management
- Streamlining onboarding
- Automating payroll & benefits administration
- Providing tools for tracking performance & development
With a modern user interface and a single-sign-on system for multiple organisation accounts, Factorial offers businesses the flexibility to transition from traditional HR methods to streamlined digital operations with minimal effort.
Factorial currently serves over 150K customers across 6 countries worldwide. With this sustained growth and a fresh influx of capital from its Series B raise, the platform’s reach is expected to expand further as it continues building features for deeper analytics & reporting capabilities and exploring new international markets.
Details of the funding round
Factorial, a software company that makes it easier to manage HR operations, announced a $80M Series B funding round led by Zentera Capital. This funding round brings Factorial’s total funding to $132 million, marking the company’s largest ever raise.
The new funds will be used towards developing new features and accelerating growth initiatives across various markets. This includes bringing on new talent to enhance their platform and expand their global presence. Key investors in this round include Validator Capital, Mountain Nazca and major technology investment firms from Europe and North America such as DN Capital, Greylock Partners and Northzone.
Factorial is on a mission to make the HR management processes more efficient for companies of any size by automating mundane tasks and making data-driven decisions with powerful insights. The company plans to use this round of financing to key product development initiatives that include:
- Enhancement of existing products like payroll, time & attendance tracking and reporting features.
- Development of AI-powered tools that enable companies to make better informed decisions.
- An expansion into new markets leveraging data driven user experiences.
Market Opportunity
Spain’s Factorial has certainly seen strong traction for its “Workday for SMBs” service. It offers an intuitive and comprehensive suite of HR, benefits, payroll and compliance services, which appeals to SMBs that lack the resources and infrastructure for HR, payroll and other related processes. As such, the company recently closed an $80 million Series B round funding to help fuel its continued growth.
Let’s take a closer look at the market opportunity for Factorial.
Growing demand for HR solutions
The need for effective Human Resources (HR) solutions has never been greater, as businesses look for ways to optimise the onboarding and personnel management processes. According to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), nearly 97% of companies use at least one HR technology solution. In addition, more than 85% of survey respondents reported that they would be willing to invest in more such solutions.
Factorial’s recent $80M raise is part of this trend, as it bolsters its ability to further develop its HR software platform and provide additional features such as time tracking, customised reporting, attendance management and collaborative document sharing capabilities. As a result, the company aims to become the leading provider of HR solutions that improve employee productivity while reducing administrative time associated with various tasks such as applicant tracking, payroll and benefits.
The growing demand for HR solutions demonstrates the need to invest in their development, which will result in efficiency gains, cost savings and improved staff engagement. With Factorials latest infusion of capital already underway, businesses can take advantage of an even larger range of innovative tools that can help them streamline processes and maximise their human capital investments.
Rise of SMBs
The worldwide rise of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) has been one of the key drivers in the economic development of the 21st century. This trend is projected to continue, with estimates suggesting that SMBs could generate as much as 1.3 million jobs by 2020, and contribute up to 60% of all new accession organisations by 2025.
As SMBs increasingly adopt digital solutions for various business needs, there has been a notable increase in demand for specialised software and services, particularly those that offer comprehensive business solutions at affordable prices. For example, Factorial’s cloud-based HR, payroll & attendance platform provides modern organisations with customised solutions for their needs.
These advantages have become even more prominent during the pandemic as companies take steps to further digitise their operations. In line with this rising trend, market research firm MarketsandMarkets reported a 12% CAGR for HR tech from 2019-2024 – a testament to how much market potential remains untapped in this space.
By taking advantage of innovations such as Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), Factorial positions itself at the forefront of this revolution as it enters its next phase of growth – putting it on track to becoming one of the world’s leading SMB service providers. With its recent $80M raise, Factorial expects to invest heavily into product innovation which should help propel its offerings further ahead of the curve and provide users greater value along their journey into digital transformation.
Factorial’s competitive advantage
Factorial’s competitive advantage lies in its unique approach to market opportunity analysis. Combining traditional research with an innovative algorithmic approach, Factorial can identify highly specific opportunities from seemingly broad markets. This approach enables companies to identify and pursue growth strategies that they would otherwise have overlooked, create custom strategies that fit their specific needs, and capitalise on emerging market trends and offerings.
Factorial’s market opportunity analysis takes a holistic view of the entire market. It looks at geographic, demographic, economic and consumer behaviours to provide a comprehensive picture of the industry landscape. Factorial incorporates customer intelligence to gain insight into consumer sentiment, preferences, demographics and behaviour; it also considers competitor activity within the context of macroeconomic trends to gain insight into potential opportunities within the larger picture. With this broad view of potential opportunities, companies can identify targeted segments for penetration or expansion within their given markets.
Once targeted segments are identified for opportunities a company could pursue, Factorial considers both top-down and bottom-up approaches for fully scrutinising individual segments or product categories to develop detailed solution portfolios targeting precise consumer needs. This approach enables companies to not only understand existing markets in detail but also provides insights into attractive new ones by leveraging proprietary algorithms and machine learning techniques developed around insights from customer research studies conducted by Factorial and external sources such as surveys/reports.
Spain’s Factorial raises $80M on the back of strong traction for its ‘Workday for SMBs’
Spain’s Factorial has announced a successful $80M raise that will help fuel the company’s expansion plans. The funds come from existing investors such as Novator and Atomico alongside new investors like Cathay Innovation and Aviva Ventures. The raise is backed by strong traction for the company’s ‘Workday for SMBs’, a cloud-based business management software for small and medium businesses. This will allow the company to continue to scale its product and expand into new markets.
Expansion of product offerings
To meet the demands of our customers and stay competitive in the marketplace, we must expand our product offerings. This means introducing new products not currently part of our inventory and offering multiple options within existing product lines. We need to examine consumer trends and competitive pricing, quality and design features to accomplish this.
We will research potential new features and products by attending relevant trade shows, talking with industry experts and participating in market research studies. Using this data, we will devise a plan outlining necessary investments such as manufacturing equipment, employee training or new software purchases. Additionally, we will explore opportunities for converting from an in-house production model to outsourcing certain processes or engaging with a third-party provider to create an incremental revenue stream.
Our teams are excited for the chance to take on this challenge and introduce hot new products that have consumers reaching for their wallets. By staying ahead of current market trends and listening closely to customer feedback, we can ensure that our company remains at the forefront of the competition as we continue our mission of delighting customers with innovative products and services.
Expansion into new markets
Expanding into new markets presents new opportunities for any business and requires strategic planning and risk taking. To successfully venture into a different market, it’s important to consider existing customer bases and trends, potential competition and an understanding of the new environment.
Determining whether an area is viable for growth within the company is essential before committing resources to enter new markets. The choice of which markets to target is also critical because both domestic and international options are available. It’s important to analyse cultural beliefs, buying habits, demographics, technology levels, legal frameworks and other factors influencing success.
Before launching in a new location or country, a company should perform market research to ensure that their products fit customers’ needs in the intended areas. For example, understanding what language is used in advertising and appropriate pricing levels ensures that growth objectives can be met without alienating potential customers. Additionally, partnerships may be necessary for success in foreign markets and should be considered when evaluating expansion plans.
Offering unique services or features tailored specifically for the audience can help drive sales growth by creating an additional perceived value that competitors do not possess. Additionally, by performing due diligence on their customers’ needs such as researching trends specific to them or providing localised services they value, most companies can gain a foothold ahead of their competition in untapped markets while limiting potential risk associated with expansion ventures.
Investors
Spain’s Factorial has recently announced that it has raised $80M in funding to fuel its growth, on the back of strong traction for its ‘Workday for SMBs’. This influx of capital has come from a group of renowned investors, who have placed their trust in the project. These investors include Lead Edge Capital, Felix Capital, Monk’s Hill Ventures, LocalGlobe, and more.
Let’s take a deeper look at how this new funding will help Factorial in its mission:
Who are the investors?
Factorial announced the close of its Series B funding round, raising $80 million. The round was led by Argentina’s favourite tech unicorn Global Brain, with participation from notable private investors including Vulcan Capital and Inkef Capital. In addition, Norwest Venture Partners, who recently led Factorial’s $31 million Series A round in April 2020, were angel investors.
This capital will accelerate Factorial’s mission to make work truly human-centric, allowing employers to build better workplaces, and employees to create meaningful work opportunities. With this funding, the company reached total capital raised to date of $120 million since its founding in 2017.
Factorial’s investor base reflects the company’s global footprint and innovative approach to solving important challenges employers worldwide face. From tech venture capitalists such as Global Brain and Menlo Ventures–who have supported startups such as Mercado Libre, Rappi, Skyscanner and Alibaba–to the leading European early stage firms Inkef Capital and Array Ventures–who have backed companies such as Jobin Life, Tripodo and Konux–the breadth of experience in leading companies from their home markets has allowed Factorial to expand across Europe quickly since launch. In addition, Angel investments from Norwest Venture Partners signal their interest in helping power further expansion into North America later this year when they open an office in San Francisco.
With additional investments from Vulcan Capital backed chief revenue officers (CROs) such as Jive Software’s Jamer Novakovic (VLKAY) and Paylocity Corp‘s Tim Callan (PCTY), Factorial has expanded its CRO leadership advisory board ensuring they remain aware of the needs of customers while focusing on their technology platform strategy that enables users around the world with best-in-class HR technology solutions designed for scalability.
What do they bring to the table?
In the wake of its recent $80 million round of funding, Factorial is uniquely positioned to continue growing its cloud-based human resource management system and make strides in the HR technology industry.
The investors participating in this fundraise come from all over the world and have experience with various business models. They bring to the table years of expertise with SaaS companies, venture capital, enterprise software companies, and private equity firms. These investors understand that today’s businesses need efficient solutions that leverage technologies, analytics and automation to reach their goals quickly.
The tireless efforts of the Factorial team have ensured that their platform meets modern customer needs for expanding teams and stringent investor requirements for data-driven business decision making tools. In addition, the enabling HR technology Factorial provides will provide better productivity outcomes for businesses than ever.
This round of investments signals to startups worldwide that there are still opportunities for innovative products in this uncertain economic climate. Businesses can save tremendous costs by using Factorial’s platform that caters to each organisation’s specific needs irrespective of size and complexity. In addition, existing customers now benefit from improved customer experience across multiple dimensions achieved by quicker response cycles and user-friendly interface designs facilitated through these new investments.
Impact
Spain’s Factorial announced it has raised $80M in its Series C funding round. This latest round of funding will be used to fuel the company’s continued growth, which has seen considerable success in offering an all-in-one workplace management solution for SMBs. The added capital will allow Factorial to sustain its already impressive growth.
Furthermore, this latest funding round will help the company expand its offerings and further its mission to revolutionise how small businesses manage their operations.
What impact will the funding have on Factorial’s growth?
The funding will dramatically impact Factorial’s growth, both in terms of the resources that the company can apply toward achieving its mission and visibility within the technology community. In addition to providing financial support, this investment will significantly improve Factorial’s ability to attract and hire top talent worldwide.
In its new growth stage, Factorial will be positioned to drive further innovation in software development by investing more heavily in research and product development. The infusion of capital will allow for increased efficiency and improved customer service. Moreover, collaboration between Factorial and its partners will improve product delivery times, quality, usability and customer satisfaction. The result is a high-value solution that meets the specific needs of customers.
Finally, this additional support helps expand Factorials market share by allowing it to reach new customers through increased marketing activities such as digital campaigns, traditional advertising channels like radio or print media and strategic alliances with other businesses.
What impact will it have on the industry?
Factorial’s release of a massive $80M investment round – the largest ever for any HR software startup – is having repercussions across the HR technology space. This massive investment gives Factorial a formidable boost of capital to fuel its mission to make enterprise-grade tools more accessible for teams of all sizes.
This development’s impact on the industry is significant, as many businesses now have access to enterprise-level tools previously reserved only for large enterprises. In mastering this delicate balance between workflow complexity and user experience, Factorial solves an age-old challenge that has bedevilled HR software companies.
Factorial’s advanced AI capabilities promise better time management benefits and will be available in various languages, making its solutions accessible to an expanding global customer base. It also seeks to further empower its customers with new product launches and innovative subscription plans augmenting its current offerings.
These enhanced services can tremendously impact the industry, as businesses are provided with choices that lead to increased operational efficiency and cost savings over time. It should be noted however that this development does not diminish existing competitors in any way. Rather, it sets a new bar for what users can expect from contemporary HR tech providers moving forward.
