Zelt

What Zelt does

Zelt is a London-based HR technology company that provides a cloud-native, all-in-one people operations platform covering the full employee lifecycle for small and mid-sized businesses and growth-stage scale-ups. The product consolidates HR, payroll, payments, benefits administration, time off, performance reviews, engagement surveys, OKR tracking, device management, and business app access into a single system with a shared data model, deliberately built from the ground up rather than assembled through acquisitions. The platform targets UK, European, APAC, and GCC markets, with native integrations to HMRC, pension providers (Nest, Smart Pension), accounting systems (Xero, with a 5.0 Xero App Store rating), and FCA-approved Open Banking rails (via Yapily) for one-click bulk salary and contractor payments; global EOR coverage is achieved through partnerships with Deel, Oyster, and Remote.

The technology layer is differentiated by the native single-codebase architecture, which the company claims keeps employee records, payroll calculations, and downstream modules in real-time sync without duplicate data entry. Security and compliance are positioned as procurement-grade, with ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, GDPR (ICO registration ZA798404), and UK Government G-Cloud supplier status, and data is hosted in AWS EU (London). An API marketplace with a published-app review process enables third-party developers to extend the platform. A generative-AI chatbot is embedded in the performance review module to surface natural-language insights, and a correlation-based impact-analysis engine underpins the surveys product.

Zelt operates a SaaS subscription business on a per-employee monthly billing model, distributed primarily through a direct, product-led growth motion with self-serve onboarding for SMBs and a sales-assisted demo path for larger organizations. The company serves 400+ customers across FinTech, Technology, Consumer, Arts & Culture, Real Estate, and Food & Beverage, with no single account dominating. The company has raised approximately $9.5 million across a $1M pre-seed (2022), a $3.5M seed (July 2023, led by Episode 1 and Village Global), and a $6M growth round (January 2025, led by Nauta with Venrex and Episode 1).

Name

Zelt

Legal name

Zelt

Website

https://zelt.app

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Zelt is a London-based HRtech company providing a natively built, all-in-one cloud platform that unifies HR, payroll, payments, benefits, performance, and IT management for SMBs and growth-stage scale-ups, serving 400+ customers across the UK, Europe, APAC, and the GCC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR & Payroll Software

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

HR Service Delivery, Case Management & Employee Self-Service (BPACAPAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Service Catalog & Self-Service Portal Platforms (HDAEALAG), Workplace Service Desk & Onsite Support (Deskside/Field Services, VIP Support) (BPAEAIAJ), IT Asset Lifecycle Services (Procure-to-Retire) (BPAEAOAF)

Keywords

• HR software platform
• Payroll management software
• Employee lifecycle management
• People operations software
• Workforce management system

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription: Zelt operates as a cloud-based SaaS platform charging subscription fees for access to its all-in-one HR, payroll, and IT management platform. Pricing is likely per-employee-per-month based on references to budget-conscious SMB considerations in content.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zelt sells a cloud-based, all-in-one people operations platform that unifies HR, payroll, benefits, time off, performance management, surveys, goals, scheduling, device management, and app access in a single natively integrated system. It covers the full employee lifecycle from onboarding to offboarding for small and mid-sized businesses, replacing multiple disconnected HR and IT tools.

Product overview

Zelt is a modern all-in-one people operations platform built as a unified suite of modules sharing a single underlying data model. The core platform is Zelt People (HR software / employee system of record), which serves as the shared source of truth for the entire employee lifecycle. All other modules — Payroll, Payments, Benefits, Time Off, Apps, Devices, Surveys, Reviews, Goals/OKRs, and Scheduling — are natively integrated with the People module rather than bolted on via acquisition. This means employee records, payroll, time-off, device assignments, and performance data are fully in sync without duplicate data entry. The platform targets small and mid-sized companies and covers the full hire-to-retire lifecycle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• People (HR Software) Employee system of record that unifies employee records, workflows, and insights in one flexible platform, covering the full employee lifecycle from onboarding to offboarding. For People & HR, Finance, and Ops leaders at small and mid-sized businesses.
• Payroll Software Cloud-based payroll software natively integrated with HR and people data, automating salary calculations, tax deductions, pension sync, and accounting integration. Supports UK (full HMRC integration), GCC (WPS exports), and select European and APAC countries.
• Payments
• Benefits Employee benefits management that automates adding and removing employees from pension and healthcare plans, syncs contributions with pension providers, and gives employees self-service visibility into their benefits.
• Time Off Time and attendance management covering holiday, sick days, work from home, and parental leave, with custom policies and fully integrated payroll sync.
• Apps Centralised management of employee access to business apps, with automated provisioning and de-provisioning during onboarding and offboarding, inactive-user detection, and monitoring of access from outside the organisation.
• Devices Device-as-a-service module that embeds equipment provisioning, fleet security, and inactive-device monitoring directly into people processes, positioned as a simpler alternative to traditional MDM and outsourcing.
• Surveys Employee survey tool for onboarding experience, engagement across the lifecycle, and regular check-ins, with impact analysis that correlates survey variables with engagement outcomes.
• Reviews (Performance Review Software) Performance review software with automated timelines, built-in anonymity, 360-degree feedback (self, manager, peer, direct report), and an AI chatbot that generates insights from review data.
• Goals (OKR Software) OKR and goal tracking software for setting, aligning, and tracking measurable objectives and key results across teams and individuals, connected to performance reviews and 1:1s.
• Scheduling (Rota Software) Rota and shift scheduling automation from planning to payroll, embedded in the HRIS as a single source of truth for shift-based and hourly workers.
• HR and Payroll Software Next-generation payroll system seamlessly integrating HR and payroll as a unified cloud platform, natively built so both systems stay in sync with real-time data access and security protections.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400+ high-performing organisations trust Zelt for their HR and payroll needs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered integration partner and core infrastructure partner.

• Xerointegration partnerTechnology or IntegrationXero is an accounting integration partner. Zelt integrates with Xero so books are always up to date with payroll data syncing automatically to the accounting system.
• Yapilycore infrastructure partnerTechnology or IntegrationYapily provides FCA-approved Open Banking integration into all major UK banks, enabling Zelt's bulk salary and contractor payment capabilities with instant transfers.
• Deelintegration partnerTechnology or IntegrationDeel is a global payroll and EOR platform integrated with Zelt for companies using a global payroll provider alongside Zelt's HR and payroll module.
• Oysterintegration partnerTechnology or IntegrationOyster is a global payroll and EOR platform integrated with Zelt for international workforce management alongside Zelt's HR capabilities.
• Remoteintegration partnerTechnology or IntegrationRemote is a global payroll and EOR platform integrated with Zelt to support global workforce needs alongside Zelt's unified HR platform.
• Experianintegration partnerTechnology or IntegrationExperian is a background checking service partner for Zelt's onboarding module, enabling automated identity and background checks for UK schools and businesses.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rippling: Rippling is a US-headquartered all-in-one workforce platform combining HR, IT, payroll, device management, and spend — closely mirroring Zelt's HR + Payroll + IT/Devices + Payments pitch, though at a much larger scale and with US-anchored payroll.
• Gusto: Gusto is a US-based all-in-one payroll, HR, benefits, and compliance platform for SMBs. While US-focused, it is a useful benchmark for the bundled HR + payroll + benefits motion that Zelt is replicating for the UK and Europe.
• BambooHR: BambooHR is an HR software suite for small and mid-sized businesses, covering employee records, onboarding, performance, and time tracking. It competes with Zelt's core HR system of record in the SMB segment globally.
• Personio: Personio is a leading European all-in-one HR and payroll platform serving SMB and mid-market customers across the UK, DACH, and beyond. It overlaps directly with Zelt's positioning as an integrated HR + payroll suite for the European SMB segment.
• HiBob: HiBob is a modern, all-in-one HR platform for mid-market and growing companies, directly comparable to Zelt's People module. A customer quote on Zelt's own site explicitly names HiBob as a benchmark, confirming direct competitive overlap in UK and European SMB/mid-market HR.
• Payfit: Payfit is a European payroll-plus-HR automation platform focused on SMBs across the UK, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy. A Zelt customer testimonial explicitly compares Zelt favorably to Payfit, indicating direct competition in automated payroll for European SMBs.

Emerging players

• Deel: Deel is a global payroll and EOR platform and a named integration partner of Zelt. It is a partial competitor in global payroll and an emerging rival in HR, but currently functions more as a complement than substitute for Zelt's UK HR core.
• Remote: Remote is a global payroll and EOR provider and a Zelt integration partner. Like Deel, it serves as a complementary global payroll engine for Zelt while also developing its own HR capabilities, making it both a partner and an emerging competitive threat.

Broad incumbents

• Workday: Workday is a large enterprise HCM and financial management vendor with a broad HR and payroll suite. It is not a direct SMB competitor but is increasingly extending down-market, putting pressure on mid-market players like Zelt to differentiate on UX and price.

Regional players

• Charlie HR: Charlie HR is a UK-based HR platform for small businesses offering core HR, time off, and people management. It competes with Zelt's People module specifically in the UK micro and small business segment, though without Zelt's payroll depth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zelthq
• Facebookfacebook.com/zelthq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zeltapp

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors10 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 Zelt