Gusto was founded in 2011 by Josh Reeves, Tomer London, and Edward Kim with a mission to simplify payroll, benefits, and HR services for small businesses. Reeves, a Stanford graduate, was driven by a desire to build meaningful companies that addressed real-world challenges, particularly the complexities small business owners face in managing employee services.
Since its launch, Gusto has grown rapidly and now serves over 200,000 businesses across the U.S. The platform offers a comprehensive suite of services, including payroll, employee benefits, time tracking, and compliance tools, designed to streamline business operations. Its intuitive design and user-friendly approach have made it a favorite among small business owners.
Gusto has also embraced technology like automation and data analytics to enhance its offerings and provide a seamless experience for users. Today, it remains a key player in the HR and payroll industry, empowering small businesses to manage their workforce effectively and foster better workplaces.
The Gusto Mafia has founded 34 companies and raised $422M.
PS: Are you a Gusto Tech Mafia member interested in bringing your community together to invest in innovative ventures (and enjoy potential profits and other perks along the way)? Or perhaps you're part of another dynamic group that could be a fantastic source of startup investments?
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Founder: Conway Teng
Gusto Role: Finance & Business Operations
Capital Raised: $164.6M
Investors: Sequoia Capital
Stage: Series C
CaptivateIQ develops a sales compensation platform designed to help businesses leverage the power of incentives to motivate teams.
Founder: Weixiong (Max) Zheng
Gusto Role: Software Engineering
Capital Raised: $58M
Investors: SE Ventures
Stage: Venture - Series Unknown
UnitX provides an inspection solution based on deep learning for automated manufacturing. The company specializes in deep learning, robotics, imaging systems, and precision engineering.
Founder: Ankit Goyal
Gusto Role: Software Engineering Intern & KPCB Engineering Fellow
Capital Raised: $62.5M
Investors: Global Founders Capital
Stage: Series B
Sirona Medical has created a novel cloud-based radiology operating system that unifies existing applications and simplifies workflow.
Founder: Jaleh Rezaei, Nikhil Mathew
Gusto Role: Head of Marketing & BD, Software Engineering Manager, Tech Lead
Capital Raised: $71.6M
Investors: Sequoia Capital
Stage: Series B
Mutiny helps B2B companies generate pipeline and revenue from their target accounts through AI-powered personalized web experiences.
Founder: Nick Soman
Gusto Role: Growth Product Lead
Capital Raised: $19M
Investors: Menlo Ventures
Stage: Series A
Decent offers affordable healthcare by aligning incentives to improve health, reduce costs, and put members at the center of their care.
Founder: Paul Voge, Madeleine Voge
Gusto Role: Business Development, Copywriter
Capital Raised: $12M
Investors: Siddhi Capital
Stage: Series A
Aura Bora is a maker of craft sparkling water that features herbs, fruits, and flowers.
Founder: Shub Jain
Gusto Role: Full Stack Engineer
Capital Raised: $4.7M
Investors: Neotribe Ventures
Stage: Seed
Auquan’s Intelligence Engine uses RAG AI to uncover early, financially material insights. It streamlines company due diligence, KYC, ESG research, and risk monitoring, allowing users to focus on high-level analysis and strategic decision-making.
Founder: Martin Pannier
Gusto Role: Group Product Manager
Capital Raised: $3.4M
Investors: Global Founders Capital
Stage: Seed
Primo is the first all-in-one IT platform for modern companies. They help SMBs manage their people, devices, applications and security in a single and unique IT-as-a-service platform that scales with them.
Founder: Arif I.
Gusto Role: Software Engineer
Capital Raised: $3.2M
Investors: Antler
Stage: Seed
Fero uses predictive AI to customize the payment process and pathway uniquely for every individual customer.
Founder: Akhil Naini
Gusto Role: Software Engineering
Capital Raised: $3.3M
Investors: Gradient Ventures
Stage: Pre-Seed
Niva is a global business identity platform used to build trust in businesses across the globe.
Founder: Melissa Miller, Lauren (Fifield) Humphrey
Gusto Role: SVP of Operations, Insurance
Capital Raised: $6.2M
Investors: Global Founders Capital
Stage: Seed
The Mintable is a community-based learning and growth platform for managers.
Founder: Kelly Sutton
Gusto Role: Software Engineering
Capital Raised: $5M
Investors: —
Stage: Seed
Scholarly is building the next generation of faculty affairs software with today's most innovative tools.
Founder: Stephanie Bowker
Gusto Role: PMM & Brand Lead
Capital Raised: $2.5M
Investors: Connect Ventures
Stage: Pre-Seed
Ourspace is the collaborative team design software that equips leaders to make smarter org design decisions.
Founder: Topher Reynoso
Gusto Role: Health & Insurance Product Innovation
Capital Raised: $2.1M
Investors: Treasury
Stage: Seed
Kept, Inc. anticipates the needs of employees as they leave, offering more than just COBRA administration. With top-tier legal and brokerage support, Kept goes beyond standard services, ensuring employees feel supported during a disruptive period in their lives.
Founder: Marshall Darr, Kaiza Molina
Gusto Role: Head of Lifecycle Marketing, Customer Marketing
Capital Raised: $1.6M
Investors: Westerly Ventures
Stage: Pre-Seed
StretchDollar is an insurance company offering health benefits for small businesses.
Founder: Arthur Garcia
Gusto Role: Ambassador
Capital Raised: $1.5M
Investors: Techstars
Stage: Pre-Seed
Trez is a company focused on payroll, benefits, and financial services, designed to empower small businesses. By combining financial solutions with a strong cultural connection, it helps businesses thrive while addressing their unique needs.
Founder: Alex Confer
Gusto Role: Head of IT Engineering
Capital Raised: $500K
Investors: Y Combinator
Stage: Pre-Seed
Risotto is an AI ChatOps for IT support, boosting efficiency and security with instant resolution and 24/7 automation, all via chat.
Founder: Sai Arora
Gusto Role: SDR Team Lead
Capital Raised: $500K
Investors: Y Combinator
Stage: Pre-Seed
Mercoa enables B2B fintechs, neobanks, and vertical SaaS to offer accounts payable features to their customers.
Founder: Brett Willms
Gusto Role: CMO, Growth
Capital Raised: —
Investors: KittyHawk
Stage: Seed
Laetro provides 2d animation, web design, brand development, and 3D services.
Founder: David Dat Nguyen, Stephen Hopkins
Gusto Role: Head of Design, Software Engineering
Capital Raised: —
Investors: —
Stage: —
Sonix is a company that produces AI-based speech recognition software.