Humand: A Better Way to Manage Remote Workers

Startup Humand is wagering that the next generation of workplace software won’t be built for office workers, but for the billions of people whose jobs keep them away from a desk — a problem that often plagues the nearshoring industry.

The company recently secured $66 million in a Series A funding round co-led by Goodwater Capital and Kaszek Ventures. The investment will help expand Humand’s presence in the United States and support the development of artificial intelligence tools designed to automate human resources tasks, including internal communication, scheduling and employee training for so-called deskless workers.

Additional participants in the round included Y Combinator, Newtopia VC, and a group of angel investors, including Dropbox co-founder Arash Ferdowsi, Lyft co-founder Rajat Suri and MercadoLibre co-founder Marcos Galperin.

Humand’s platform centers on a mobile app that brings together internal messaging, shift scheduling, employee benefits information and training materials in one place. The product is designed specifically for workers who rely primarily on smartphones rather than computers to interact with their employer. It is marketed as an all-in-one suite that provides digital connectivity for workers who often feel isolated, along with management tools to track employee progress and other metrics.

Human resources technology analyst Josh Bersin said many deskless employees, such as restaurant staff, airline employees, cleaners, technicians and manufacturing workers account for about 80% of the workforce — a growing segment as AI threatens to automate many other jobs.

“Despite the value of these roles, companies don’t invest much in these employees,” Bersin said. “Every payroll and HR vendor tries to address this market, but most do it in pieces. They often buy or build a workforce scheduling tool, and it is lightly connected to HRMS and payroll.”

The focus on frontline workers is not exclusive to Humand, as companies like SAP and Workday have also attempted to target the market, he said.

Humand was founded in 2020 by a group of Argentine entrepreneurs who first met while studying in Buenos Aires. Early development of the platform took place in partnership with steelmaker ArcelorMittal before the company officially launched its product in 2021.

Now headquartered in San Francisco, Humand says its platform is used by more than 1.5 million workers across 1,500 companies worldwide. The client list includes Siemens, Home Depot, John Deere and Domino’s Pizza.

Humand estimates that about 80% of the global workforce — roughly 2.7 billion people — work in roles such as manufacturing, construction, retail and healthcare. Many of those workers do not have company email accounts or access to traditional enterprise communication tools, making it difficult for employers to share updates, coordinate schedules or distribute training.

“We see every workflow in HR as potential for building intelligence on top,” Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Nicolas Benenzon told Bloomberg in an interview.

The funding comes as venture capital activity in Latin America begins to recover after the post-pandemic slowdown. According to PitchBook, startups in the region raised roughly $6.2 billion in 2025 — the highest annual total since 2022, when funding reached $9.4 billion.

Artificial intelligence has become a growing focus for investors in the region. AI-related startups accounted for about 26% of total venture deal value in 2025, up from roughly 18% the year before.

Humand’s typical corporate client has a workforce made up of at least 70% non-desk employees. Over the next five years, the company aims to grow its customer base to 10,000 organizations.

“Everyone already uses their phones in Uber to request a car, Amazon to purchase products or DoorDash to order food,” Benenzon said. “Why are people not having the same experience for work?”