2021 In Review: Onwards and Upwards
As 2021 comes to a close, we’re reflecting on some of the year’s most notable events. Wow what a year it has been!
In February, we rebranded as Onwards HR (formerly ePerkz). The new name better suited our mission to simplify separations by streamlining the process, promoting consistency, and prioritizing transparency.
The month of May ended with a bang when Onwards HR became a certified Women’s Business Enterprise by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
In July, LaunchPad2x selected Onwards HR and 3 other women-led founders to pitch at Venture Atlanta.
In August, we gain invaluable partners when we closed our pre-seed round with Overline.
In early September, we officially incorporated Onwards HR and converted our loyal contractors into full-time employees.
The year’s biggest highlight took place in late September at HR Technology Conference and Exposition, where Onwards HR took home first place in this year’s Pitchfest.
October did not disappoint when Onwards HR presented at Venture Atlanta as a seed-stage showcase company, and Sarah Rodehorst, co-founder and CEO of Onwards HR, was honored to have been selected as a Women in Technology (WIT) Women of the Year finalist in the engineering category.
In November, we welcomed our first advisory board member, Jen Bender, SVP of People Solutions Shared Services at Change Healthcare. She knows the separation challenges employers face firsthand as she discussed in the article Finding a Niche in HRTech: Onwards HR Brings Transparency, Cost-Saving to the Exit Process
We celebrated in December alongside 19 other women-founded businesses, when we successfully completed the Techstars Women Catalyst program. In addition, Onwards HR was featured by SHRM in the article New Technology Eases Employee Exits.
After all that has been said, our most proud accomplishment last year is to have made it easy for our US and Canadian customers to manage over 1000 separations. We helped them save up to $4,700 per separation by automating separation agreements and OWBPA disclosures, shortening processing times by 60%, and assessing compliance with the WARN Act and adverse impact.
As we’re looking toward continued success in the new year, we want to pause to say thank you to our customers, team, advisors, and investors. Your belief in us, our product, and our mission gives us strength and fuels our momentum. We are glad to have you at our side on this journey.
Happy holidays and may the New Year bring you happiness, peace, and prosperity!
Sarah & Janice
