Sapling

Sapling operates as a People Operations Platform, providing a suite of tools to automate and manage the entire employee lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding. Founded in 2016 by Andrew Crebar and Bart Macdonald, the San Francisco-based company established itself by focusing on turning HR from an administrative function into a strategic one. The founders' backgrounds contributed to this vision; Crebar previously served as Chief of Staff at Credible and an Associate at Macquarie Capital, while Macdonald has co-founded multiple SaaS startups. This experience informed the development of a platform centered on enhancing employee experience and engagement for mid-sized and large enterprises.

The company's business model is centered on its cloud-based, software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, which generates revenue through subscriptions. Sapling's core service automates critical HR workflows, saving administrative time and ensuring consistency across an organization. Its product features include a centralized employee database, automated and customizable onboarding and offboarding checklists, document management with e-signature capabilities, and performance management tools. The platform also offers a people directory, organizational chart, and time-off management. A key selling point is its robust integration capability with third-party applications like Slack, JazzHR, and Okta, connecting disparate HR systems.

A significant milestone in Sapling's history was its acquisition by Kallidus, a UK-based Human Capital Management (HCM) software provider, on January 5, 2021. This strategic acquisition was backed by Apse Capital and served as a crucial entry point for Kallidus into the North American market. For Sapling, becoming part of the Kallidus family integrated its specialized onboarding and Core HR functionalities with Kallidus's established strengths in learning management, performance, and talent solutions. This merger transformed Kallidus into a full-suite HCM provider, addressing the entire employee journey and capitalizing on the growing demand for integrated HR solutions, particularly with the rise of remote work. Prior to the acquisition, Sapling had secured $4 million in a 2019 seed funding round led by Google's AI fund, Gradient Ventures.

Keywords: People Operations, Human Capital Management, HR automation, employee onboarding, employee offboarding, core HRIS, SaaS, employee lifecycle management, HR workflows, Kallidus, employee experience, performance management, talent management, people analytics, HR technology, employee data management, HR software, compliance management, organizational chart, time off tracking