15Five
“Can a performance-management SaaS become the strategic command center for HR by layering AI coaching on top of engagement, review, and compensation data?”
Founded2011
HQSan Francisco, California, United States
FoundersDavid Hassell
Total raised~$90M+
Latest roundSeries C, 2022
IndustryHorizontal SaaS / HR & Performance Management
The story
Founded 2011 by David Hassell as a lightweight weekly check-in tool ('15 minutes to write, 5 to read'). Over the 2010s, expanded into a full continuous performance management suite (reviews, OKRs, 1-on-1s, engagement surveys). Post-2022 Series C, pivoted upmarket into mid-market/enterprise HR and layered AI on top (Amaya, Kona AI Coach, AI-assisted reviews). No embedded finance ambitions — 15Five is a pure HR/performance SaaS that explicitly positions itself as 'distinct from HRIS/payroll'.
Product timeline
2011
Founded as a weekly check-in tool for managers and employees· pivot
2018
Raised $8.2M Series A to expand performance management platform· banking
2022
Raised $52M Series C led by Quad Partners; expanded into manager coaching and engagement· banking
2024
Launched Compensation module tying pay to performance data· pivot
2025
Launched Kona AI Coach and 15Five Agents (AI-powered workflows)· pivot
2026
Launched Growth Studio module for talent planning and 9-box matrix· pivot
Acquisitions
The stack
3 layers disclosed in 15Five’s embedded-finance stack
Payments / PSP
StripeZuora
Unified APIs
in the full report
Accounting
in the full report
Accounting gap: none
28 more providers across 2 layers, with confidence-scored evidence and source URLs, are in the Embedded Finance Index report.