Human Interest
Human Interest is a San Francisco-based 401(k) and retirement plan provider serving 40,000+ small and medium-sized businesses, offering automated plan administration, 500+ payroll integrations, and fiduciary services via a tiered subscription platform covering more than one million employees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Human Interest does
Human Interest, founded in 2015 and headquartered in San Francisco, is a full-service 401(k) and retirement-plan provider focused on small and medium-sized businesses. The company offers 401(k), 403(b), Solo 401(k), and IRA products, delivered through a three-tier subscription platform (Essentials at $80/month plus $5 per eligible employee, Complete at $180/month plus $7, and Concierge at $280/month plus $9), with revenue additionally generated from asset-based advisory fees (0.01-0.018% of plan assets through Human Interest Advisors) and recordkeeping fees (0.05% of plan assets). All plans carry zero transaction fees and benefit from an industry-first 3% cash back incentive called (k)ickstart, a money-backed Customer Experience Guarantee, and an Audit Relief module that compresses audit time to as little as five hours.
The underlying technology platform is a cloud-based 401(k) administration system anchored by an in-house recordkeeping engine and native two-way integrations with 500-600+ payroll providers (Gusto, Paylocity, Rippling, ADP, QuickBooks Online, and many others), which automate employee data sync, eligibility detection, and contribution processing. Human Interest also acts as a 3(16) administrative fiduciary, while its wholly-owned subsidiary Human Interest Advisors provides 3(21) and 3(38) investment fiduciary services, including a recently launched lineup of Great Gray Collective Investment Trusts invested in BlackRock index strategies that reduce average participant investment expenses by up to 63%. A dedicated advisor platform, PartnerConnect, supports financial advisors, benefit brokers, banks, and accountants with onboarding, proposal, and analytics tooling.
The business model combines self-serve product-led signup for small businesses, a direct enterprise field-sales team for mid-market and larger accounts (now reinforced by a UBS distribution partnership), and channel sales through 500+ payroll-provider marketplaces and the PartnerConnect advisor network. The company serves 40,000-45,000 SMBs covering more than one million employees, has raised approximately $725M across multiple funding rounds (including a $200M Series D in 2021, a BlackRock-led round in 2023, a ~$242M round in 2024, and a Series E plus a $100M+ round in 2025 at a $3B post-money valuation), and projects roughly $200M in annual recurring revenue by year-end 2025.
Human Interest firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Human Interest
- Legal name
- Human Interest Inc.
- Website
- https://humaninterest.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Human Interest is a San Francisco-based 401(k) and retirement plan provider serving 40,000+ small and medium-sized businesses, offering automated plan administration, 500+ payroll integrations, and fiduciary services via a tiered subscription platform covering more than one million employees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Human Interest industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retirement Plan Administration & Recordkeeping
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Retirement & Pension Planning (401(k)/IRA) (FSAEAAAD)
Keywords
Where Human Interest is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Human Interest business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription - Plan Administration Fees: Monthly subscription fees based on tier (Essentials $80/mo, Complete $180/mo, Concierge $280/mo) plus per-employee fees ($5-$9/month). Revenue is recurring and scales with customer headcount.
- Asset-Based Advisory Fees: Human Interest Advisors (HIA) charges 0.01% of plan assets when acting as 3(38) fiduciary, or 0.018% when acting as 3(21) fiduciary. Recordkeeping fees of 0.05% of plan assets paid to Human Interest Inc.
- IRA Account Fees: $8/month billed annually plus 0.06% asset-based fee billed monthly for IRA accounts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Essentials: $80/month base + $5/eligible employee - affordable all-in-one 401(k) solution |
| Subscription | Monthly | Complete: $180/month + $7/eligible employee - end-to-end 401(k) with key administrative tasks |
| Subscription | Monthly | Concierge: $280/month + $9/eligible employee - ultimate solution with dedicated account manager |
| Subscription | Monthly | IRA: $8/month + 0.06% asset-based fee |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Human Interest product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Human Interest provides affordable, full-service 401(k), 403(b), Solo 401(k), and IRA retirement plans to small and medium-sized businesses and self-employed individuals in the United States. Its cloud-based administration platform automates plan setup, payroll-driven contribution processing, compliance testing, and Form 5500 filing, and is delivered through three subscription tiers (Essentials, Complete, Concierge). The offering is sold direct to employers, through payroll partner channels, and via the PartnerConnect platform for financial advisors, with optional modules such as (k)ickstart and Audit Relief.
Product overview
Human Interest offers a unified platform of retirement benefits products for small and medium-sized businesses, comprising three service tier plans (Essentials at $80/month, Complete at $180/month, and Concierge at $280/month) alongside core retirement account types. The core product portfolio includes 401(k) Plans, 403(b) Plans, Solo 401(k), and IRA accounts—all built on a technology platform featuring 600+ payroll integrations for automated administration. The ecosystem includes PartnerConnect™ for financial advisors, the (k)ickstart® employee savings incentive program, Audit Relief™ for compliance automation, and Human Interest Advisors for investment management. The platform emphasizes transparent pricing with zero transaction fees and provides additional value through the Customer Experience Guarantee and Plan Cost Calculator tools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Human Interest Advisors (HIA): Registered Investment Adviser and subsidiary of Human Interest Inc. providing investment advisory services to plans that select HIA as the investment adviser.
- PartnerConnect™
- (k)ickstart®
- Audit Relief™
- Customer Experience Guarantee
Products and services
- 401(k) Plans Customizable, affordable 401(k) retirement plans for small and medium-sized businesses with automated administration, payroll integration, compliance testing, Form 5500 filing, and zero transaction fees, sold via three subscription tiers (Essentials, Complete, Concierge).
- 403(b) Plans Retirement plans for tax-exempt organizations including nonprofits, public schools, and churches, offering tax-deferred savings with similar features to 401(k) plans plus compliance support.
- Solo 401(k) Self-directed 401(k) for self-employed individuals and owner-only businesses without full-time employees, enabling combined employer and employee contributions up to $72,000 for 2026 with no nondiscrimination testing.
- IRA Traditional and Roth Individual Retirement Accounts for individuals, with zero transaction fees on rollovers, distributions, and trades, and easy 401(k) rollover support.
- PartnerConnect™ Digital advisor platform with investment toolkit, ParticipantIQ analytics, onboarding tracker, and proposal tracker for financial advisors, brokers, and accountants to manage SMB client retirement plans under 3(21) and 3(38) fiduciary roles.
- (k)ickstart® Employee Savings Program Employee savings incentive offering 3% cash back (up to $250) on contributions for employees making $60,000 or less who save at least 8% for 12 months, paired with the (k)ickstart Classroom 10-part financial education video series.
- Audit Relief™ Automated audit preparation that consolidates data across systems, validates 100% of transactions, and delivers an audit-ready data package, reducing audit time to as little as five hours and potentially saving $10,000+ annually on audit fees.
- Customer Experience Guarantee Service-level guarantee providing measurable benchmarks (response times, contribution processing, distribution initiation, compliance filing) and automatic financial compensation to administrators and participants if standards are not met.
- Human Interest Advisors (HIA) Investment Advisory Registered Investment Adviser providing 3(21) and 3(38) investment fiduciary services, model portfolios, and the new Great Gray CIT lineup (invested in BlackRock index strategies) for retirement plan clients, with asset-based fees of 0.01%-0.018% of plan assets.
- Great Gray CITs with BlackRock Index Strategies New low-cost investment lineup for HIA clients: Great Gray Collective Investment Trusts that invest in BlackRock index strategies, reducing average investment expenses by up to 63% for small business retirement plan participants.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3% cash back up to $250 for employees making $60,000 or less who save at least 8% for 12 months
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Human Interest
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Human Interest technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration55 records
Feature7 records
Human Interest partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UBScorePartnership with UBS for expanding Human Interest's sales force significantly and distribution reach in the retirement plan market.
- Great Gray Trust CompanycoreHuman Interest Advisors announced new investment lineup featuring Great Gray Collective Investment Trusts with investments in BlackRock index strategies, reducing average investment expenses by up to 63%.
- BlackRock Index StrategiescoreGreat Gray CITs invest in BlackRock index strategies as part of Human Interest Advisors' new investment lineup, providing low-cost investment options for small business clients.
- GustocoreOfficial partnership with Gusto payroll platform. Human Interest is the most popular 401(k) with Gusto customers. Two-way integration enables automatic employee sync, contribution processing, and eligibility detection.
- PaylocitycoreIntegration partnership with Paylocity HCM platform for seamless 401(k) administration and payroll sync.
- RipplingcoreIntegration with Rippling platform enabling automated 401(k) setup and ongoing contribution management.
- VestwellminorCompetitor in fintech record keeper space. Both companies raising significant funding and partnering with payroll providers to challenge traditional 401(k) providers.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Human Interest competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Vestwell: Direct fintech competitor offering cloud-based 401(k), 403(b), and SEP-IRA recordkeeping for SMBs via payroll integrations and advisor partnerships. Same target customer and business model as Human Interest, with significant funding from investors like Goldman Sachs.
- Guideline: Direct fintech competitor providing low-cost 401(k) plans for small businesses with payroll integrations and transparent flat-fee pricing. Targets the same SMB employer segment with a similar product-led growth motion and payroll partner channel.
- ForUsAll: Direct competitor offering 401(k) plans for small and mid-sized businesses with a focus on customizable plan design, crypto and ESG investment options, and payroll integrations. Competes head-to-head with Human Interest in the SMB retirement plan market.
- Ubiquity Retirement + Savings: Direct competitor providing 401(k), 403(b), and IRA recordkeeping services with a focus on small businesses and financial advisor channels. Competes on transparent pricing and technology-enabled administration.
Broad incumbents
- Fidelity Investments: Largest incumbent retirement recordkeeper in the US, serving both enterprise and SMB 401(k) markets with deep scale advantages, in-house funds, and proprietary recordkeeping. Increasingly targeting the SMB segment where Human Interest competes.
- Empower Retirement: Major incumbent recordkeeper (acquired by Great-West Lifeco), serving employer-sponsored retirement plans across SMB, mid-market, and enterprise segments with broad investment capabilities and scale pricing.
- Charles Schwab Retirement Plan Services: Incumbent recordkeeper offering 401(k) services with bundled custody and a focus on serving businesses across multiple size tiers, leveraging scale advantages to compete with fintech challengers like Human Interest.
- Vanguard Retirement Plan Services: Incumbent recordkeeper leveraging low-cost Vanguard funds as a differentiator in the 401(k) market. Provides services to small, mid, and large employer plans and competes on price for SMB customers.
Emerging players
- Betterment for Business: Digital advisory platform offering 401(k) and SEP-IRA plans for small businesses with automated investing and transparent pricing. Focuses on a narrower segment than Human Interest but competes on the same technology-first value proposition.
Regional players
- Paychex Retirement Services: Payroll giant with bundled retirement plan services for SMBs, partnering with multiple recordkeepers. While US-focused and competitive, its bundled model places it more as an indirect competitor than a pure direct peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Human Interest social profiles
Digital presenceHuman Interest financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Human Interest leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Human Interest subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Human Interest funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds12 records
Investors32 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Human Interest M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Human Interest
What does Human Interest do?
Human Interest provides affordable, full-service 401(k), 403(b), Solo 401(k), and IRA retirement plans to small and medium-sized businesses and self-employed individuals in the United States. Its cloud-based administration platform automates plan setup, payroll-driven contribution processing, compliance testing, and Form 5500 filing, and is delivered through three subscription tiers (Essentials, Complete, Concierge). The offering is sold direct to employers, through payroll partner channels, and via the PartnerConnect platform for financial advisors, with optional modules such as (k)ickstart and Audit Relief.
Is Human Interest a public or private company?
Human Interest is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Human Interest founded?
Human Interest was founded in 2015. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Human Interest based?
Human Interest is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Human Interest make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription - Plan Administration Fees are the primary driver. The others are asset-Based Advisory Fees and IRA Account Fees.
Who are Human Interest's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Vestwell, Guideline, ForUsAll and Ubiquity Retirement + Savings. Broad incumbents are Fidelity Investments, Empower Retirement, Charles Schwab Retirement Plan Services and Vanguard Retirement Plan Services. Betterment for Business is listed as an emerging player. Paychex Retirement Services is listed as a regional player.
Does Human Interest have an API?
No public API is recorded for Human Interest.
What industry is Human Interest in?
Human Interest's product category is Retirement Plan Administration & Recordkeeping. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEABAE, Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension), with a secondary code of FSAEAAAD, Retirement & Pension Planning (401(k)/IRA). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.