people-operations
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Cocoon Turned Parental Leave's Fax-Machine Maze Into Software - Then TriNet Bought It for $23 Million
Three former Stripe and Square operators started with one customer, one state and one leave type. Five years later, Cocoon had supported 25,000 leaves, won 400-plus employers and sold to TriNet - a neat lesson in turning regulatory sludge into useful software.
Bloom Talent
Bloom Talent is a woman-owned boutique recruiting agency in San Francisco that places Chief of Staff, Executive Assistant, and operations talent for tech startups, venture firms, and executives. Founded in 2015 by Amanda Christoff, the firm is known for a relationship-driven, white-glove approach that weighs personality fit alongside skills, and has placed candidates at companies including Y Combinator, Stripe, Airbnb, and Pinterest.
HelloTeam
HelloTeam is a Boston-based HR technology company that builds an all-in-one employee engagement and performance management platform aimed at improving employee retention. Founded in 2016 by Tanya Bakalov, the software combines performance reviews, goals and OKRs, recognition and rewards, surveys, learning, a dynamic org chart, and people analytics into a single system so managers and HR teams can keep employees connected, engaged, and productive.
ibelong
ibelong is a San Francisco-based consultancy that helps organizations build inclusive, resonant workplace cultures using a neurochemical framework grounded in affective neuroscience, relational neurobiology and epigenetics. Led by CEO and epigenetic coach Rajkumari Neogy, the company translates the brain science of trust and belonging into practical programs - immersive courses, leadership coaching, compassion circles and layoff (RIF) support - aimed at reducing conflict, burnout and turnover. Formerly known as iRestart, ibelong has worked with leaders at more than 175 startups and enterprises.
Aeqium
Aeqium is a San Francisco-based software company building an AI-driven compensation planning platform for HR and people teams. Founded in 2020 by former Uber, Palantir, Walmart Labs and Braze engineers, Aeqium replaces spreadsheet-based comp cycles with an agentic system that builds salary bands, runs pay-equity and analytics, manages merit and bonus reviews, and communicates total rewards to employees. It integrates with common HRIS, ATS and equity systems and counts companies like Braze, Warby Parker, Hopper, WHOOP and dbt Labs among its customers.
Leapsome
Leapsome is an AI-powered people enablement platform that unifies the HR stack - performance reviews, goals and OKRs, engagement surveys, learning, compensation, and a core HRIS - in one place. Founded in Berlin in 2016 by Jenny von Podewils and Kajetan von Armansperg, it helps managers and HR teams run feedback, development, and alignment processes without juggling spreadsheets and disconnected tools. The company bootstrapped to profitability before raising a $60M Series A in 2022, and today serves more than 1,500 organizations including Spotify, Unity, and monday.com.