Runa (Runa HR)
Also a provider — view Runa (Runa HR)’s profile →“Can a Latin American payroll platform become the all-in-one HR and embedded financial benefits OS for SMBs across the region?”
Founded2017
HQMexico City, Mexico (Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo)
FoundersCourtney McColgan
Latest roundSeries A, 2021
IndustryHorizontal SaaS / HR & Payroll
The story
Founded in 2017 by Courtney McColgan through Y Combinator, Runa started as a cloud payroll platform focused on Mexican SMBs, addressing a highly fragmented and manual market. It expanded into a full HR suite adding IMSS management, attendance, benefits, and payroll financing, evolving from pure payroll software toward an all-in-one people-operations platform for Latin America. By 2025, Runa had added AI agents across key HR workflows and expanded to five LATAM countries, shifting its positioning from payroll software to an AI-powered HR and embedded-finance platform for employers in the region.
Last 12 months
Product timeline
2017
Courtney McColgan (ex-CMO of Cabify) founded Runa and launched through Y Combinator.· pivot
2018
Official platform launch with cloud-based payroll, IMSS management, and HR features for Mexican SMBs.· banking
2020
Opened offices in Monterrey, Mexico, expanding geographic footprint.· pivot
2021
Raised Seed and Series A rounds; announced plans to expand into Brazil.· acquisition
2021
Launched payroll financing product (Financiamiento de Nómina) — credit lines for employers to fund payroll.· lending
2023
Launched employee benefits suite including adelanto de sueldo (earned wage access), health insurance, life insurance, savings programs, and meal vouchers.· banking
2025
Expanded operations to Chile, Peru, and Colombia.· pivot
2025
Launched AI agent suite (onboarding, training, performance, helpdesk, ISN, IMSS agents) to automate HR workflows.· pivot
The stack
1 layer disclosed in Runa (Runa HR)’s embedded-finance stack
Lending
Financiamiento de Nómina (payroll credit line — MX, up to 500,000 MXN)Financiamiento de Remuneraciones (payroll credit line — CL, up to 25,000,000 CLP)Adelanto de sueldo (earned wage advance — 30% of salary, MXN 39 per withdrawal)Clara credit line integration (payroll financing via Clara, from 30,000 MXN)
Accounting gap: significant