Nigerian HR tech startup PaidHR is tackling Africa’s HR automation gap with all-in-one HR software, cross-border payroll, and financial wellness tools tailored to small and medium-sized enterprises across the continent.
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Launched in 2020 by Seye Bandele and Lekan Omotosho, PaidHR set out to solve a simple but far-reaching problem: most African SMEs still manage HR manually, which slows them down and affects employee productivity.
“Africa is the world’s youngest, fastest-growing workforce,” PaidHR CEO Seye Bandele told TechArena in an interview. “Yet most small businesses on the continent don’t have access to affordable HR tools that can scale with them. That’s where we come in.”
PaidHR’s cloud-based platform lets businesses onboard employees, manage attendance and time-off, process payroll across multiple countries, and ensure full regulatory compliance. Beyond HR basics, the startup also layers on financial tools like earned wage access (EWA) — allowing workers to access a portion of their salary before payday — and a multi-currency wallet for local and USD transactions.
“People with regular salaries often can’t access affordable credit,” Bandele explained. “Our technology lets them access their money as they earn it, removing the need for predatory loans and payday lenders.”
The company raised $1.8 million in seed funding led by Accion Venture Lab, joined by returning investors Zrosk, Chui Ventures, and Zedcrest Capital. The capital will help PaidHR standardize its platform for new markets and grow its footprint across Africa.
“With our pre-seed and bridge rounds, we built a proven product for over 250 businesses in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa,” Bandele said. “Now we’re looking to deepen our presence, especially in Nigeria, and make key investments in talent, product development, and sales and marketing.”
That expansion is powered by PaidHR’s ability to scale across borders without heavy overhead.
“We enable companies to pay their employees across countries without needing to set up a local office,” Bandele noted. “That allows African businesses to grow seamlessly and lets us quickly move into new markets when the data tells us there’s demand.”
And demand is rising fast. According to Bandele, 44 million SMEs employ 80% of Africa’s workers, yet most of them lack proper HR and financial tools. PaidHR’s focus is precisely on this overlooked segment.
Investors were also attracted by PaidHR’s capital efficiency and strong retention rates, with zero churn last year, a sign that customers who join rarely leave.
“We’ve built a very robust tech stack,” Bandele noted. “Our investors often say our platform looks like that of a Series B company — we’re just very disciplined with capital.”
Beyond the numbers, Bandele is passionate about the company’s social impact, especially its role in boosting financial inclusion for African workers.
“By formalizing HR processes and unlocking earned wages and affordable savings, we help businesses grow responsibly — and give employees more security and peace of mind,” he added.
PaidHR is also working toward ISO 27001 certification, which will boost trust in its data and security credentials.
“Our clients rely on us for some of their most sensitive data which means we take security, compliance, and privacy very seriously,” Bandele stressed.
With this funding and its strategic focus on SMEs, PaidHR is well on its way to becoming a pan-African HR and fintech powerhouse, one that supports businesses and empowers workers as the continent’s workforce continues to grow.
“We want to help one thousand businesses across Africa over the next few years,” Bandele concluded. “And in doing so, drive real improvements in productivity and financial well-being across the continent.”
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Also Read: How Kenya’s FaidiHR Is Solving Africa’s Payroll Chaos While Eyeing the $10 Billion Opportunity
