What Ascentis does

Ascentis Corporation was a human capital management (HCM) software provider focused on the under-served mid-market segment, offering a comprehensive suite covering payroll, HR, time and attendance, and talent management. Its core products included Ascentis Self-Service, an employee portal providing access to payroll, benefits, and HR information, and NOVAtime (acquired in September 2018), a time and attendance tracking module integrated with the HR and payroll systems. The company's underlying technology was a cloud-based HCM platform that has since been integrated into UKG's broader workforce operating platform, including access to UKG Bryte AI for people-first AI insights across HR, scheduling, and payroll functions.

Ascentis operated on a SaaS subscription model with recurring revenue, supplemented by managed services revenue streams. The company distributed its solutions primarily through direct field sales targeting mid-market organizations across multiple verticals including manufacturing, healthcare, retail, public sector, financial services, logistics, hospitality, and field services. Following its acquisition by UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group) in December 2021, Ascentis now operates as an integrated product line within UKG, with legacy customers being supported and transitioned to UKG's infrastructure, including self-service portals (loginselfservice.ascentis.com) and dedicated support channels. The company completed four acquisitions prior to its own acquisition (Starfield TMS in 2014, NOVAtime in 2018, Cincinnati Time Systems in 2018, and Integrated Time Systems in 2019), demonstrating a roll-up strategy to consolidate time-tracking and HCM capabilities for the mid-market. Funding history includes a $3.27 million round from Catalyst Investors in 2012, a $7 million Series 3 round from Catalyst Investors in 2014, and an undisclosed round led by Summit Partners in 2017.

Name

Ascentis

Legal name

Ascentis Corporation

Website

https://ascentis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Ascentis is an HCM software provider offering payroll, HR, time and attendance, and talent management solutions to mid-market organizations. Acquired by UKG in December 2021, it now operates as an integrated product line within UKG's broader workforce management platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Eden Prairie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. HCM and Payroll SaaS Subscription: UKG's HCM, workforce management, and payroll solutions operate on a subscription model with recurring SaaS revenue. The Ascentis and NOVAtime product lines (now part of UKG) provide HR, payroll, and time and attendance solutions under the same subscription framework.
2. Managed Services: UKG provides managed services including payment services, implementation services, and operational support for payroll and workforce management, generating additional recurring service revenue.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Ascentis Corporation provides an integrated human capital management (HCM) software suite covering payroll, time and attendance, HR, talent management, and employee self-service, targeted at the under-served mid-market. Following UKG's December 2021 acquisition, the Ascentis product line (including the NOVAtime time-and-attendance module) is now supported and sold as part of UKG's broader HCM, workforce management, and payroll platform, with customers transitioned to UKG infrastructure.

Product overview

Ascentis was an HR/payroll software provider offering employee self-service and time tracking solutions. The company was acquired by UKG in December 2021. The core product Ascentis Self-Service provides payroll and HR access via web portals, while the NOVAtime add-on module handles time and attendance tracking. Ascentis products are now supported and integrated into UKG's broader HCM platform, with existing Ascentis clients being transitioned to UKG's workforce management and payroll solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• UKG Pro Workforce Management ranked among the best for seven consecutive years in Nucleus Research WFM Technology Value Matrix, indicating sustained operational excellence and customer value delivery.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2021UKG acquired Ascentis Corporation in December 2021, integrating Ascentis's HR, payroll, and time and attendance solutions into the UKG product portfolio. The acquisition brings Ascentis's customer base and product capabilities under UKG's umbrella, with Ascentis now operating as part of UKG with continued product support and migration to UKG's platform. Support emails reference UKG domains and Ascentis legacy products are transitioning to UKG infrastructure.
• Advisory Services NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory Services Network provides operations solutions and compliance support to Ascentis Family Wealth, the newly affiliated wealth advisory practice under Ascentis Wealth Management (part of Ascentis Holdings). The partnership supports client continuity and growth for the Dallas-based wealth advisory practice led by Kevin Gray.
• Ascentis Family Wealth (Kevin Gray)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAscentis Family Wealth, a newly launched Dallas-based wealth advisory practice led by Kevin Gray (20-year financial services veteran and former founder of Veracity Capital), is welcomed into the Ascentis Wealth Management (AWM) network. Once all assets are transferred, the practice will have approximately $250 million in assets under management and Kevin Gray will take an equity stake in AWM.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Paychex: Paychex is a leading provider of payroll, HR, and HCM solutions primarily serving SMB and mid-market customers in the US—directly comparable to Ascentis's mid-market HCM positioning. Note: Paychex email domain appears for Ascentis recruiting support, indicating an unusual operational relationship.
• Paylocity: Paylocity is a cloud-based HCM and payroll platform focused on mid-market organizations, directly competing with Ascentis in the same buyer segment with similar full-suite HCM functionality.
• isolved: isolved is an HCM platform purpose-built for mid-market employers, offering payroll, HR, benefits, and talent management—closely aligned with Ascentis's mid-market HCM suite approach.
• Dayforce (formerly Ceridian): Dayforce is a global HCM platform serving mid-market and enterprise customers with payroll, workforce management, benefits, and talent—directly overlapping Ascentis's offering set across similar customer sizes.
• BambooHR: BambooHR is an SMB and lower mid-market HR and payroll platform with strong UX and PLG motion—adjacent competitor to Ascentis in the mid-market HCM category, often replacing entry-level solutions.

Broad incumbents

• ADP Workforce Now: ADP is the largest incumbent payroll and HCM provider globally, with ADP Workforce Now directly targeting the mid-market segment that Ascentis serves. Broader portfolio includes enterprise and SMB offerings.
• Workday: Workday is a leading cloud HCM and financial management platform historically focused on enterprise, increasingly moving downmarket into mid-market—directly competitive with Ascentis's UKG-aligned offering.
• Oracle HCM Cloud: Oracle Fusion HCM is a broad enterprise HCM suite that increasingly competes for mid-market deals, especially for Oracle ERP customers—comparable technology category to Ascentis's UKG-hosted HCM stack.
• SAP SuccessFactors: SAP SuccessFactors is a global HCM cloud suite serving mid-market and enterprise customers—comparable in suite breadth and global reach to what UKG now offers Ascentis customers.
• UKG: UKG is Ascentis's parent company and a leading global HCM, workforce management, and payroll platform serving SMB to enterprise across 140+ countries—provides the platform context for Ascentis's mid-market positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ascentiscorp
• Facebookfacebook.com/174738789989
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ascentis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

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

M&A4 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Ascentis