Shyft

Shyft Technologies Inc. operates a mobile-first workforce management platform designed to address the complexities of scheduling for hourly employees. The Seattle-based company was founded in 2015 by a team that includes CEO Brett Patrontasch, CTO Daniel Chen, VP of iOS & Co-Founder Kyle Liu, and Co-Founder Chris Pitchford. The idea for Shyft originated from Patrontasch's earlier experience running a student painting company, where he witnessed firsthand the inefficiencies of coordinating schedules via text messages and social media groups. This led to the creation of a mobile application that empowers employees to manage their work schedules.

The company's journey began with a different product, Coffee Mobile, which the founders pivoted from after realizing it was too focused on employers rather than the end-users—the employees. After participating in the Techstars Seattle accelerator program in 2016, Shyft gained significant traction. A major milestone was securing a partnership with Gap Inc. to provide its scheduling solution to workers at its portfolio of retail stores, including Old Navy and Banana Republic. The company has secured a total of $8 million in funding, including a $6.5 million Series A round co-led by Ignition Partners and Madrona Venture Group.

Shyft's core offering is a mobile app that allows employees to swap shifts, communicate with colleagues, and access their schedules from their personal devices. This facilitates a flexible labor marketplace, enabling companies to fill staffing gaps efficiently and reduce manager time spent on scheduling logistics. For its enterprise clients, which operate in sectors like retail, supply chain, and hospitality, Shyft provides a SaaS platform. This business model generates revenue through subscriptions to its suite of tools, which includes features for ensuring scheduling compliance with labor laws, communication broadcasting, and integrations with existing workforce management systems like Kronos and Workday. By giving employees more control over their work-life balance, the platform helps businesses improve morale and reduce turnover.

Keywords: workforce management, employee scheduling, shift swapping, retail technology, human capital management, mobile scheduling, enterprise SaaS, hourly workers, labor management, schedule flexibility, team communication, retail operations, workforce optimization, employee engagement, staff management, shift marketplace, compliance software, restaurant technology, hospitality tech, supply chain scheduling