Personio launches foundation to back frontline organisations tackling climate action and education

Munich, 16 December 2021: Personio, Europe’s leading HR software company for small and mid-sized businesses, has today announced the creation of Personio Foundation, an independent and not-for-profit organisation offering financial and business support to NGOs and social enterprises. The Foundation will focus on education and climate action, two of the most pressing issues facing the world today, with Covid-19 having wiped out 20 years worth of education gains, and climate change goals significantly below target.

Personio Foundation is based on a commitment made when Personio was created to set aside 1% of the company’s equity for good causes. This 1% stake is currently worth $63 million and will continue to grow until an IPO. An additional $3 million in cash donations from Personio’s founders, investors and the company itself will drive immediate progress.

The founders of Personio – Hanno Renner (CEO), Roman Schumacher (CPO), Arseniy Vershinin (CTO) and Jonas Rieke (COO) – will be closely involved in strategy and are advised by Nicola Crosta, founder of Impact46, former United Nations official and a recognised expert in foundation management. Day-to-day operations will be managed by dedicated staff, bolstered by expertise from Personio employees on secondment, while selection of grantees will take place via a robust screening process supported by external consultants.

Hanno Renner, Co-founder of Personio and Chairman of the Foundation, said: “The Covid-19 crisis has significantly increased educational inequality around the world and we are the last generation that can change the course of climate change. Personio Foundation will help to drive change in these vital areas that require immediate action and are close to the hearts of employees and founders.” 

“We want to live up to our core value of ‘Social Responsibility’ that has been an important part of our business since day one. We are grateful that the hard work of the entire team at Personio, the trust of our customers and the continued support of our investors has put us in the position to launch Personio Foundation.” 

Based in Europe but open to worldwide applications, Personio Foundation will offer financial and non-financial support via two flagship programs. Grantees in the Impact Portfolio will receive unrestricted financial grants and collaborative mentoring. The Impact Accelerator addresses a key challenge for the sector by providing knowledge and HR advice to help social purpose organisations grow their biggest asset – their people.

The first group of grantees will be directly sourced and selected by the Foundation’s team. Applications will be assessed based on ten criteria covering the robustness of each organisation and its potential impact. Later in 2022, a global call for proposals launched through the Foundation’s website and social media.

The launch of Personio Foundation is the latest in a number of initiatives by Personio to give back to society. Recently Personio.org was launched to offer improved access to its HR services for organisations such as NGOs, universities and public sector employers. This includes discounted pricing for organisations with non-profit / charitable status to support the sector beyond the organisations that will directly benefit from Personio Foundation.

Hanno Renner continued: “We already serve hundreds of organisations that operate in the education, nonprofit and public sectors, and are always considering how we can help them maximise their impact. Personio.org makes our services even more accessible for organisations that work for the good of society and supports our mission to democratise HR software.”

Find out more here: www.personio.foundation

Notes to editors:

The Impact Portfolio Every year Personio Foundation will select non-profits and social enterprises working in education and climate to become part of its portfolio. The initial objective was to support up to ten organisations in 2022, with a view to increase this number in future. In addition to financial support, Personio Foundation will support its grantees by:

1. Raising awareness of the development challenges they are tackling

2. Fundraising activities

3. Facilitating networking with other high impact organisations and with Personio’s teams

The Impact Accelerator The Impact Accelerator will provide a free community and knowledge hub to help these organisations take up the latest and best HR management practices. Personio employees will be able to volunteer their time and skills to help organisations succeed, transferring best-practices gathered working with 5,000 customers and their in-house experiences.

Personio and social responsibility

Personio works hard to assist organisations such as charities and social enterprises by improving access to the best HR software. We also encourage employees to take part in impact days, and build in processes to allow customers to drive their own green initiatives.

Press enquiries:

Personio GmbH Matthew Tubbs Senior PR & Communications Manager E-Mail: matthew.tubbs@personio.com

Firstlight Group Rosie Stafford +44 (0)7769618500 E-Mail: personioteam@firstlightgroup.io 

About Personio: Personio is the People Operating System for small and medium-sized companies with 10 to 2,000 employees. Based in Munich, Madrid, London, Dublin and Amsterdam, Personio’s mission is to make HR processes as transparent and efficient as possible so HR can focus on what matters most: people.

Personio does that by offering an all-in-one HR software that includes human resources, recruiting and payroll, enabling HR to go beyond HR. Thanks to People Workflow Automation technology Personio helps more than 5,000 customers across Europe to remove delays and realise opportunities. 

In October 2021, Personio received Series E funding, valuing the company at $6.3 billion. This not only makes Personio Europe’s most valuable HR tech company but catapulted it into the top 10 of Europe’s most valuable startups.