“We are on a mission to transform HR technology and employee experience in the Middle East and North Africa, and ideally beyond… by creating a mobile-first experience,” said Schrems.

According to Schrems, who spoke with TechCrunch, he needed an employee-focused system but discovered that many HR software programmes were “very complex,” had “a plethora of features, and functionality aimed at making life simpler for HR managers,” and paid little attention to the usability of employees. 

Richard Schrems, a human resources advisor in Riyadh a few years ago, tried to install a tech solution for one of his customers to support them improve their sizable teams at one point but was unable to locate a regional answer.

His conclusions were not original, which a study, of late, put forth that growing unhappiness with HR tech suppliers; half of the participants stated they intended to switch to new solutions that provide a better customer experience and incorporate remote working into account.

Motivated to close the gap, in 2019 Schrems (CEO) teamed up with Christoph Czichna (COO) and Dragan Nikolic (CPO) to start Palm.hr. Clients include Hala, Thmanyah, the Saudi Venture Capital Company, Mozn, Jeeny, and Rabbit. Palm. hr is situated in Riyadh. Schrems claims that since going live, the HR-tech business has grown significantly, doubling its annual recurring revenue (ARR) every six months.

With the help of $5 million in pre-Series A, funding from a round steered by European venture capital firm Speedinvest, which made a mark for the first time in Saudi Arabia, and RAED Ventures, with involvement from VC firm Wamda Capital (MENA-focused) , it plans to continue growing by entering Egypt and the UAE while focusing more on Saudi Arabia.

In a statement, Philip Specht, a partner at Speedinvest, said: “As EU-based investors, we have observed how firms like Personio and Factorial are producing outcomes worth billions of dollars in the HR sector. We think Palm.hr is positioned to dominate the MENA area and the larger Arab world with a comparable but localised strategy. The business boasts an excellent staff, a standout value offer in regards to qualities, integrations, and user experience, as well as a loyal customer base. We are happy to assist Palm.hr, which represents our enthusiasm for the larger MENA startup scene.

“With Palm.hr, you can completely process your payroll, you can actually perform the payments since we are connected with the government payroll system,” said Schrems. “We are also connected with the social insurance system, so we can update people’s social insurance.”

Additionally, the business plans to introduce new functions and services that will, for example, enable staff to quickly access loans, asset-financing, and insurance options.

“We want to combine HR technology with financial and insurance technology so that employees can do everything from buy or rent assets to enrol in health or travel insurance through our solution. Palm.hr should become a routine element of work life, according to Schrems.

For instance, in Saudi Arabia, Palm.hr has linked with governmental systems including Mudad, which the country’s labour ministry mandates for digital payroll and compliance, the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI), and Muqeem, the data portal for international employees.

Palm.hr plans on growing and developing more products in an effort to seize a sizeable share of the worldwide HR tech market, which is predicted to expand at a 9.08% CAGR to reach $53.3 billion by 2028.