Human Interest

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.

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

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

• 401(k) plan administration
• Retirement plan recordkeeping
• 403(b) plan services
• Payroll-integrated benefits
• SMB retirement benefits

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. IRA Account Fees: $8/month billed annually plus 0.06% asset-based fee billed monthly for IRA accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration55 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UBScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026Partnership with UBS for expanding Human Interest's sales force significantly and distribution reach in the retirement plan market.
• Great Gray Trust CompanycoreTechnology or Integration · 15 October 2025Human 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 StrategiescoreTechnology or Integration · 15 October 2025Great 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.
• GustocoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial 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.
• PaylocitycoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration partnership with Paylocity HCM platform for seamless 401(k) administration and payroll sync.
• RipplingcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Rippling platform enabling automated 401(k) setup and ongoing contribution management.
• VestwellminorOthersCompetitor 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/humaninteresthq
• Facebookfacebook.com/humaninterestco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/humaninterest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds12 records

Investors32 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Human Interest