WorkMotion

Berlin is where WorkMotion started, in coffee shop meetings during the first pandemic lockdown between its founders Carsten, Karim and Felix, who talked about Europe's shortage of skilled workers and how hard compliance was for companies hiring across borders. The company says it was set up to remove the barriers between companies and talent, in a fast, efficient and compliant way, and about 80 percent of its staff now work outside Germany.

Employer of record in 160 countries

The core product is an employer of record service. A company picks a country, generates a country-specific contract from a reviewed template, sends it for signature and is notified when the person is onboarded, after which WorkMotion handles payroll, taxes, social contributions and benefits. It states that it hires in more than 160 countries and that its own network of local entities, owned in more than 30 countries, makes onboarding quicker than relying on third parties. Pricing is a single monthly rate per employee. Alongside it are direct hiring tools for companies that want to employ people themselves while following local law, and a contractors product with automated invoicing and tax support.

Payroll, expenses and a recruiting tool

The platform covers the employee lifecycle: payroll with country-specific payslips, expenses, paid time off, contract changes, benefits and offboarding, plus calculators for salary, employment cost and offboarding cost. Synmatch AI is a recruiting service that sources and pre-screens international candidates with AI interviews and human review, charging a 10 percent commission on first-year salary for a successful hire. The company says it is the only employer of record to hold the IEC Gold Certification for compliance, and reports over 1,000 customers and a Series B round of $50 million.

Acquired by Lifted

WorkMotion announced that it had been acquired by Lifted, a wholly owned subsidiary of Upwork, with financial terms not disclosed. It says it stays an independent German company headquartered in Berlin with its own brand and platform, with Felix Steffens continuing as CEO. Existing contracts, prices and contacts are unchanged, customer data stays in the EU, and it plans more owned entities over the next two years while focusing on small and mid-sized businesses in Europe.

Key facts

Headquarters: Große Hamburger Str. 17, 10115 Berlin, Germany Legal name: WorkMotion Software GmbH (Charlottenburg Local Court, HRB 219211 B) People: Felix Steffens (CEO), Karim Zaghloul and Jan-Peter Böckstiegel (managing directors per imprint) Customers: over 1,000 (company figure) Products or Services: employer of record, direct hiring, contractors, payroll management, Synmatch AI Funding: Series B of $50 million (company statement) Ownership: acquired by Lifted, an Upwork company, terms undisclosed Website: workmotion.com