Houston HR SaaS company acquires remote-first platform

growing tech

Houston-based GoCo.io has acquired a company that aims to improve the work-from-home employee experience. Courtesy of GoCo

A Houston software startup has made a strategic acquisition to account for the increasingly large number of companies employing a remote-first workforce.

After closing a $15 million series B funding round last year, GoCo.io, an HR solutions software platform, has acquired WFHomie, a platform that helps remote-first companies enhance the employee experience as well as keep up with people analytics. According to GoCo research, most HR professionals report that they are being asked to retain top talent — employee engagement programs are key to driving that retention, the company says in a news release.

“We know that employee experience is top of mind for SMBs and the HR teams that support them,” says Nir Leibovich, co-founder and CEO of GoCo, in the release. “Our team and our platform are growing rapidly in support of our mission to empower HR professionals, and this acquisition is a key step in that direction.

"It’s clear that the leadership of WFHomie share our vision, passion, and excitement for creating innovative products that help companies build better workplaces," he continues. "We’re confident that the WFHomie team will bring the expertise and agility we need to ship new products and expand our service offerings in line with that vision.”

The details of the transaction were not disclosed. The WFHomie team will be on boarded at GoCo.

Founded in November of 2020 in direct response to the pandemic, Toronto-based WFHomie raised $1.6 million in seed funding in 2021.

“Nir and the leadership team at GoCo are dedicated to building a future where HR and People Ops leaders have the bandwidth to support their employees effectively and create thriving, high-performing workplaces” says Pavla Bobosikova, co-founder and CEO of WFHomie in the news release. “We share the same vision – to improve work-life for employees, while empowering organizations to operate more effectively.”

Founded in 2015 by Leibovich, Jason Wang, and Michael Gugel, GoCo has raised $27.5 million to date and has over 100 employees, according to LinkedIn.

Following a $7 million raise, Houston-based GoCo is looking to grow. Courtesy of GoCo

Houston B-to-B tech startup gears up for growth following $7 million Series A

Serious series

A Houston startup looking to digitize the human resources industry just completed a reassuring round of funding. GoCo closed its Series A funding round led by ATX Seed Ventures alongside UpCurve, Inc. at $7 million.

GoCo, which was founded by CEO Nir Leibovich, Chief Technology Officer Jason Wang, and Chief Product Officer Michael Gugel, is out to bring the much-maligned HR tasks into the digital world. The funding round brings GoCo's total funding to $12.5 million. Leibovich said the new capital will be allocated to hiring across all departments, further platform development to extend the breadth of offerings and to broadly expand the company's customer base.

"Today, we have 6,200 customers across the U.S. and around the world," Leibovich tells InnovationMap. "And we have 25 employees. We're looking to double and triple — if not quadruple — that across 2019."

The company has a solid partnership network with employee benefit insurance agencies like OneDigital and PayneWest, and general agencies like Word & Brown, to offer GoCo's technology as an enhancement to their existing insurance benefits services clients. GoCo also auto-syncs with leading payroll providers ADP, PayChex, Paylocity, Intuit Quickbooks and more, thus uniquely enabling businesses to maintain their benefits broker and payroll provider by integrating with GoCo's platform.

"This Series A and the potential addition of UpCurve's distribution channel to reach hundreds-of-thousands of new customers continues our mission to free SMBs and HR professionals from outdated and tedious administrative burdens. When these professionals look at current HR and benefits solutions on the market and think 'there must be a better way,' we are the better way," says Leibovich. "We want to be synonymous with modern and streamlined HR."

GoCo is backed by additional investments from Salesforce Ventures, Corp Strategics, GIS Strategic Ventures, the venture arm of Guardian Life Insurance, and Digital Insurance, the largest employee benefits-only company in the US. ATX Seed Ventures is investing for the second time.

"We are doubling down on our investment in GoCo, as it is positioned to become the platform of choice for HR professionals to break out of the chains of outdated and complex HR duties, and empowers them to spend more time on their employees and higher value tasks," says Chris Shonk, managing partner at ATX Seed Ventures, in a release. "GoCo is simply the best platform solution to do all this, and their increasing customer base supports it."

Founded in 2015, GoCo is the fusion of modern, paperless HR functions like employee onboarding, secure cloud-storage document management, eSignature workflows, time-off tracking and HR data reporting. As well, it is paired with simplified benefits enrollment and management, payroll sync and HR compliance enablement. The web and mobile based app empower employers to give employees 24/7 access to the full spectrum of a company's HR and benefits offerings.

GoCo creates platforms to onboard employees, conduct training and myriad HR tasks which, said Leibovich, free up HR personnel to handle the business of actually working with employees to grow their potential and assist companies with their missions.

"Typically, HR has lagged behind when it comes to embracing technology," says Leibovich. "Sales, marketing, development, these are places where it's become the norm to seek out tech solutions to problems. With human resources, many firms are still using that paperwork model, and often, a new hire's first day on the job – and therefore their first impression of a company — is filling out forms."

Leibovich had founded two companies before, one based in analytics that they sold to Zinga, the other a biotech firm. It was the biotech venture that brought the Austin-based trio to Houston. Looking around the landscape, Leibovich said he and his partners liked the fact that Houston was a city on the move, with a highly skilled workforce and companies keen on finding tech solutions to their challenges. The city's "if you can dream it, you can do it here" vibe kept the group here as they launched GoCo. Leibovich said he thinks that, in terms of its startup ventures, Houston is where Austin was 10 years ago. And he believes that continued successes in the tech and startup culture will breed more success in the Bayou City.

"This is an ecosystem that is coming together to attract even more talent for ventures like this," he said. "Funding is going to ramp up, and we see Houston as a place where we — and other companies — can create something really special. This is a great place to do business."

All-in-one platform

  

Courtesy of GoCo

GoCo is the fusion of modern, paperless HR functions like employee onboarding, secure cloud-storage document management, eSignature workflows, time-off tracking and HR data reporting.

Ad Placement 300x100
Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

Autonomous truck company rolls out driverless Houston-Dallas route

up and running

Houston is helping drive the evolution of self-driving freight trucks.

In October, Aurora opened a more than 90,000-square-foot terminal at a Fallbrook Drive logistics hub in northwest Houston to support the launch of its first “lane” for driverless trucks—a Houston-to-Dallas route on the Interstate 45 corridor. Aurora opened its Dallas-area terminal in April and the company began regular driverless customer deliveries between the two Texas cities on April 27.

Close to half of all truck freight in Texas moves along I-45 between Houston and Dallas.

“Now, we are the first company to successfully and safely operate a commercial driverless trucking service on public roads. Riding in the back seat for our inaugural trip was an honor of a lifetime – the Aurora Driver performed perfectly and it’s a moment I’ll never forget,” Chris Urmson, CEO and co-founder of Pittsburgh-based Aurora, said in a news release.

Aurora produces software that controls autonomous vehicles and is known for its flagship product, the Aurora Driver. The software is installed in Volvo and Paccar trucks, the latter of which includes brands like Kenworth and Peterbilt.

Aurora previously hauled more than 75 loads per week under the supervision of vehicle operators from Houston to Dallas and Fort Worth to El Paso for customers in its pilot project, including FedEx, Uber Freight and Werner. To date, it has completed over 1,200 miles without a driver.

The company launched its new Houston to Dallas route with customers Uber Freight and Hirschbach Motor Lines, which ran supervised commercial pilots with Aurora.

“Transforming an old school industry like trucking is never easy, but we can’t ignore the safety and efficiency benefits this technology can deliver. Autonomous trucks aren’t just going to help grow our business – they’re also going to give our drivers better lives by handling the lengthier and less desirable routes,” Richard Stocking, CEO of Hirschbach Motor Lines, added in the statement.

The company plans to expand its service to El Paso and Phoenix by the end of 2025.

“These new, autonomous semis on the I-45 corridor will efficiently move products, create jobs, and help make our roadways safer,” Gov. Greg Abbott added in the release. “Texas offers businesses the freedom to succeed, and the Aurora Driver will further spur economic growth and job creation in Texas. Together through innovation, we will build a stronger, more prosperous Texas for generations.”

In July, Aurora said it raised $820 million in capital to fuel its growth—growth that’s being accompanied by scrutiny.

In light of recent controversies surrounding self-driving vehicles, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, whose union members include over-the-road truckers, recently sent a letter to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calling for a ban on autonomous vehicles in Texas.

“The Teamsters believe that a human operator is needed in every vehicle—and that goes beyond partisan politics,” the letter states. “State legislators have a solemn duty in this matter to keep dangerous autonomous vehicles off our streets and keep Texans safe. Autonomous vehicles are not ready for prime time, and we urge you to act before someone in our community gets killed.”

Houston cell therapy company launches second-phase clinical trial

fighting cancer

A Houston cell therapy company has dosed its first patient in a Phase 2 clinical trial. March Biosciences is testing the efficacy of MB-105, a CD5-targeted CAR-T cell therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory CD5-positive T-cell lymphoma.

Last year, InnovationMap reported that March Biosciences had closed its series A with a $28.4 million raise. Now, the company, co-founded by Sarah Hein, Max Mamonkin and Malcolm Brenner, is ready to enroll a total of 46 patients in its study of people with difficult-to-treat cancer.

The trial will be conducted at cancer centers around the United States, but the first dose took place locally, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Swaminathan P. Iyer, a professor in the department of lymphoma/myeloma at MD Anderson, is leading the trial.

“This represents a significant milestone in advancing MB-105 as a potential treatment option for patients with T-cell lymphoma who currently face extremely limited therapeutic choices,” Hein, who serves as CEO, says. “CAR-T therapies have revolutionized the treatment of B-cell lymphomas and leukemias but have not successfully addressed the rarer T-cell lymphomas and leukemias. We are optimistic that this larger trial will further validate MB-105's potential to address the critical unmet needs of these patients and look forward to reporting our first clinical readouts.”

The Phase 1 trial showed promise for MB-105 in terms of both safety and efficacy. That means that potentially concerning side effects, including neurological events and cytokine release above grade 3, were not observed. Those results were published last year, noting lasting remissions.

In January 2025, MB-105 won an orphan drug designation from the FDA. That results in seven years of market exclusivity if the drug is approved, as well as development incentives along the way.

The trial is enrolling its single-arm, two-stage study on ClinicalTrials.gov. For patients with stubborn blood cancers, the drug is providing new hope.

Elon Musk's SpaceX site officially becomes the city of Starbase, Texas

Starbase, Texas

The South Texas home of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket company is now an official city with a galactic name: Starbase.

A vote Saturday, May 3, to formally organize Starbase as a city was approved by a lopsided margin among the small group of voters who live there and are mostly Musk’s employees at SpaceX. With all the votes in, the tally was 212 in favor to 6 against, according to results published online by the Cameron County Elections Department.

Musk celebrated in a post on his social platform, X, saying it is “now a real city!”

Starbase is the facility and launch site for the SpaceX rocket program that is under contract with the Department of Defense and NASA that hopes to send astronauts back to the moon and someday to Mars.

Musk first floated the idea of Starbase in 2021 and approval of the new city was all but certain. Of the 283 eligible voters in the area, most are believed to be Starbase workers.

The election victory was personal for Musk. The billionaire’s popularity has diminished since he became the chain-saw-wielding public face of President Donald Trump’s federal job and spending cuts, and profits at his Tesla car company have plummeted.

SpaceX has generally drawn widespread support from local officials for its jobs and investment in the area.

But the creation of an official company town has also drawn critics who worry it will expand Musk’s personal control over the area, with potential authority to close a popular beach and state park for launches.

Companion efforts to the city vote include bills in the state Legislature to shift that authority from the county to the new town’s mayor and city council.

All these measures come as SpaceX is asking federal authorities for permission to increase the number of South Texas launches from five to 25 a year.

The city at the southern tip of Texas near the Mexico border is only about 1.5 square miles (3.9 square kilometers), crisscrossed by a few roads and dappled with airstream trailers and modest midcentury homes.

SpaceX officials have said little about exactly why they want a company town and did not respond to emailed requests for comment.

“We need the ability to grow Starbase as a community,” Starbase General Manager Kathryn Lueders wrote to local officials in 2024 with the request to get the city issue on the ballot.

The letter said the company already manages roads and utilities, as well as “the provisions of schooling and medical care” for those living on the property.

SpaceX officials have told lawmakers that granting the city authority to close the beach would streamline launch operations. SpaceX rocket launches and engine tests, and even just moving certain equipment around the launch base, requires the closure of a local highway and access to Boca Chica State Park and Boca Chica Beach.

Critics say beach closure authority should stay with the county government, which represents a broader population that uses the beach and park. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr. has said the county has worked well with SpaceX and there is no need for change.

Another proposed bill would make it a Class B misdemeanor with up to 180 days in jail if someone doesn’t comply with an order to evacuate the beach.

The South Texas Environmental Justice Network, which has organized protests against the city vote and the beach access issue, held another demonstration Saturday that attracted dozens of people.

Josette Hinojosa, whose young daughter was building a sandcastle nearby, said she was taking part to try to ensure continued access to a beach her family has enjoyed for generations.

With SpaceX, Hinojosa said, “Some days it’s closed, and some days you get turned away."

Organizer Christopher Basaldú, a member of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas tribe, said his ancestors have long been in the area, where the Rio Grande meets the Gulf.

“It’s not just important,” he said, “it’s sacred.”

View All Listings