What Rise People does

Rise People is a Canadian cloud-based HR software company founded in 2011 and headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, that sells an all-in-one people management platform to Canadian employers. The platform unifies HR, payroll, benefits, time tracking, scheduling, performance management, recruiting, and onboarding on a shared database hosted on AWS Canada (ca-central-1) with multi-availability-zone redundancy, TLS 1.3 and AES-256 encryption, and a 3-hour RTO disaster recovery commitment. Compliance with Canadian employment standards — automated CRA remittance, T4/T4A/RL1 generation, ROE filing, and PIPEDA/PIPA data handling — is the platform's central specialization, distinguishing it from US-born competitors such as BambooHR.

The product surface spans twelve modules (People Management, Recruiting, Onboarding, Time Off, Payroll, Fully Managed Payroll, Performance Management with reviews/goals/check-ins, Scheduling, Time Tracking, Group Benefits, the Rise Health sub-brand, and a native iOS/Android mobile app with geofencing and biometric clock support). Revenue is generated primarily through per-employee-per-month subscriptions starting at C$6 (Essential tier) with Grow and Optimize tiers requiring sales contact, plus add-on fees for Scheduling & Time Tracking and managed-services revenue from Fully Managed Payroll and Group Benefits Administration (delivered in partnership with Sun Life under the Rise Health brand). Go-to-market is sales-led for enterprise and mid-market, with self-serve signup for small business and a partner program for Canadian accountants, bookkeepers, and HR consultants offering up to 20% revenue share.

Customer segments span SMB (1–50 employees), mid-market (51–200), and selective enterprise (200+), with vertical emphasis on law firms, manufacturing, non-profits, Indigenous organizations, technology, and health & wellness. The customer logo wall includes household-name brands such as Hilton, Starbucks, Subway, Hockey Canada, Clio, Freshii, Moosehead Breweries, and the David Suzuki Foundation. Funding history (C$1.5M from TIMIA Capital in 2017 plus multiple Espresso Capital revenue-based rounds from 2015–2018 and later 2018/2020 rounds) and the 2019 acquisition of Hazel indicate measured, capital-efficient scaling rather than venture-fueled hyper-growth, while the active careers page signals continued headcount expansion.

Name

Rise People

Legal name

Rise People, Inc.

Website

https://risepeople.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Rise People is a Canadian cloud-based HR software company that sells an all-in-one people management platform — HR, payroll, benefits, time tracking, scheduling, and performance — to Canadian SMB, mid-market, and selective enterprise employers, with deep CRA and PIPEDA compliance specialization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Resources / Payroll SaaS

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Software/SaaS Subscriptions (Consumer & Prosumer) (CRAFAIAB)

Keywords

• HR management software
• Payroll automation
• Employee benefits administration
• Time and attendance
• Performance management

Headquarters

HQ city

Burnaby

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription - Per Employee: Rise charges a per-employee monthly subscription fee (base tier at $6/mo per employee). Additional add-ons available for Scheduling & Time Tracking. The pricing is tiered based on company size and feature requirements.
2. Fully Managed Payroll: Rise offers fully managed payroll services where Canadian payroll experts handle every pay run, CRA payments, and year-end reports on behalf of the client.
3. Scheduling & Time Tracking Add-on: Optional add-on for scheduling and time tracking features, priced separately from base subscription.
4. Group Benefits Administration: Rise provides group benefits management with flexible options integrated into the HR and payroll platform. Sun Life partnership mentioned for benefits delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rise People sells a cloud-based, all-in-one people management platform for Canadian employers that consolidates human resources, payroll, group benefits and RRSP administration, time and attendance, and performance management into a single system. The platform is delivered as a subscription SaaS product on AWS-hosted infrastructure in Canada, priced on a per-employee basis starting at $6 per month, and is targeted primarily at mid-sized Canadian businesses (51–100+ employees).

Product overview

Rise People offers a unified all-in-one people management platform designed for Canadian companies. The core platform integrates multiple modules: Payroll Software (with optional Fully Managed Payroll add-on), People Management (HR), Recruiting (ATS), Onboarding, Performance Management (reviews, goals, check-ins), Scheduling, Time Tracking, Time Off Tracking, and Group Benefits (including Rise Health sub-brand). All modules share a common database enabling seamless data synchronization across the system. The platform also includes a Mobile App for iOS and Android. Pricing is offered on a per-employee-per-month basis with flexible plan tiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rise People HR Management
• Rise People Payroll
• Rise People Benefits Group benefits and RRSP administration module of the Rise People platform that connects employers with Canadian benefits carriers for enrollment, management, and ongoing administration.
• Rise People Time & Attendance
• Rise People Performance Performance management module of the Rise People platform that supports employee performance reviews, goal tracking, and people analytics for managers and HR teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• 49% of employees start searching for new job after just two payroll errors
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature13 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationRise hosts all platform components on AWS Canada (ca-central-1 region) data centers with multi-availability zone configuration. AWS holds SOC 1, SOC2, and ISO 27001 certifications. This is Rise's largest and most important technology partnership providing the foundational cloud infrastructure.
• Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)coreTechnology or IntegrationRise works with RBC for all fund transfers, adhering to their rigorous security standards, processes, and procedures including encrypted channels and public key verification. RBC handles the financial transaction layer for payroll disbursements and fee collection.
• XeromajorTechnology or IntegrationRise offers journal entry mapping integration with Xero, allowing payroll data to be directly imported into Xero accounting systems. Part of Rise's strategy to integrate with tools businesses already use.
• QuickBooksmajorTechnology or IntegrationRise offers journal entry mapping integration with QuickBooks, allowing payroll data to be directly imported into QuickBooks accounting systems.
• FreshBooksmajorTechnology or IntegrationRise offers journal entry mapping integration with FreshBooks, allowing payroll data to be directly imported into FreshBooks accounting systems.
• Sun LifemajorTechnology or IntegrationRise Health provides group benefits management integrated with the platform. Sun Life is mentioned as a benefits carrier partner, with Rise offering 'Free for Sun Life clients' for benefits management features.
• Canadian Accountants, Bookkeepers, and HR ConsultantsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRise operates a partner program targeting Canadian accountants, bookkeepers, and HR consultants. Partners receive up to 20% revenue share, $250 sign-up bonus, and free payroll and HR software for their firm. The program emphasizes Canadian compliance expertise and local support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Humi: Canadian HR, payroll, and benefits platform targeted at SMBs. Closely comparable on geography (Canada-only), customer segment (small/mid-market), and product bundling (HR + payroll + benefits); direct competitor for the same Canadian SMB wallet share.
• Payworks: Canadian-focused payroll and HR solutions provider serving SMB and mid-market. Directly comparable to Rise on Canadian payroll compliance, pricing tier structure, and target customer segments; named explicitly in Rise's own competitive comparison pages.
• Employment Hero: All-in-one HR, payroll, and benefits platform that has expanded into Canada from Australia. Comparable to Rise in product breadth (HR + payroll + benefits), per-employee subscription model, and SMB/mid-market focus; explicitly named as a competitor on Rise's comparison pages.
• BambooHR: US-based SMB HRIS vendor expanding into Canadian market. Directly comparable to Rise on core HR functionality and SMB target segment, but historically weaker on Canadian payroll/compliance—a gap Rise explicitly positions against in its marketing.
• Wagepoint: Canadian SMB-focused online payroll provider with strong CRA integration. Comparable to Rise on Canadian payroll specialization and small-business customer base, though narrower product scope (payroll-centric rather than full all-in-one platform).

Broad incumbents

• ADP Canada: Global payroll and HCM giant with established Canadian operations (RUN Powered by ADP, Workforce Now). Comparable on payroll and HR functionality across all customer segments; offers deep Canadian compliance but with a more traditional, less unified UX than Rise's all-in-one platform.
• Workday: Enterprise cloud HCM and financial management suite. Comparable on HR, payroll, and benefits module breadth but targets large enterprise customers; relevant competitor when Rise's enterprise customers (e.g., Hilton) scale.
• Ceridian / Dayforce: Large incumbent Canadian-founded HCM/payroll vendor serving enterprise and mid-market with payroll, HR, benefits, and workforce management. Most direct large-scale competitor to Rise in the Canadian market, with deeper enterprise penetration but historically heavier implementation footprint.

Emerging players

• Gusto: US-based all-in-one HR, payroll, and benefits platform serving SMBs. Comparable on product bundling and per-employee subscription model; currently US-focused but has signaled international ambitions that could eventually reach the Canadian market.
• Knit (formerly 1Pay.studio / Canadian payroll partners): Emerging Canadian payroll and HR platform serving SMBs via accountant/bookkeeper channel. Comparable to Rise on Canadian payroll focus and partner-led GTM, representing both an emerging competitor and a potential channel overlap risk.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/riseofpeople
• Facebookfacebook.com/risepeopleplatform

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors3 records

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Rise People