What CORE smartwork does

CORE smartwork GmbH is an Austrian SaaS company founded in 2012 and headquartered in Gurten, Upper Austria, that sells a modular employee relationship management (ERM) platform to small, mid-market, and enterprise customers primarily in the DACH region. The company was co-founded by Andreas Fill of Fill Gesellschaft m.b.H. and developed from a needs analysis of an Austrian industrial company, with the goal of consolidating internal communication, HR management, and organization into a single mobile-first application. The platform is sold in three packages — CORE lite (entry tier starting at €1.99 per user with five communication modules), CORE standard (6–18 configurable modules for communication, organization, and target control), and CORE advanced (all-in-one with the full module library) — and is delivered as a native iOS/Android app with web access, an optional white-label deployment, multi-language support with professional translation integration, and a full-REST API for system integration.

The product surface spans 20+ specialized modules grouped into four suites: Communication (chat, newsrooms, surveys, corporate TV, daily standups, public appreciation), Organisation (digital personnel files, performance reviews, goal/balanced scorecard management, resource and workflow management, building maps), Recreation (merchandise shop with salary account billing, employee wellness tracking), and Expert (e-learning, applicant management, knowledge management, idea management), plus a customizable dashboard homepage. The technology stack is mobile-first with native iOS and Android apps and a web interface, and a REST API supports integrations. Revenue is generated through per-user annual subscriptions supplemented by Customer Success-led implementation and onboarding services. Distribution is direct and sales-led via website demo requests, supported by a dedicated Customer Success team that manages onboarding, expansion, and long-term account health, with the annual Employer Branding Forum serving as the primary community-building and demand-generation channel.

Name

CORE smartwork

Legal name

CORE smartwork GmbH

Website

https://core-smartwork.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CORE smartwork is an Austrian SaaS company that sells a modular, mobile-first employee relationship management platform — combining internal communication, HR workflows, and engagement tools — to small, mid-market, and enterprise customers primarily in the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gurten

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription SaaS (Modular Employee App): CORE smartwork operates on a subscription-based SaaS model with three tiered packages: CORE lite (starting at €1.99/user), CORE standard (custom pricing based on module selection), and CORE advanced (comprehensive all-in-one pricing). Customers choose modules based on their needs and pay per user. Implementation is described as fast - CORE lite in days, CORE standard/advanced in weeks. The company emphasizes cost reduction through consolidated licensing (one system instead of multiple isolated solutions).
2. Professional Services (Implementation & Onboarding): Customer Success Management team provides implementation support, onboarding, and ongoing guidance. Dedicated Customer Success Managers accompany customers throughout the entire project launch and beyond.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CORE smartwork develops and sells a modular, mobile-first employee relationship management (ERM) SaaS platform that combines internal communication, HR management, organization, and employee development in a single all-in-one application. The platform is sold in three tiered packages (CORE lite, CORE standard, CORE advanced) with 20+ specialized modules (e.g., chat, newsrooms, surveys, digital personnel files, E-learning, merchandise shop) and is delivered as native iOS/Android apps plus a web interface with a white-label option.

Product overview

CORE smartwork is an all-in-one employee app and social intranet platform combining internal communication, HR management, organization, and employee engagement in a modular solution. The offering consists of three main packages: CORE lite (basic communication package from 1.99 EUR/user with 5 modules), CORE standard (customizable solution with 6-18 modules), and CORE advanced (comprehensive all-in-one package with all modules). The platform includes Communication modules (CORE info, community, atmosphere, compliment, standup, tv), Organization modules (CORE dialogue, map, resource, score, system, workflow), Recreation modules (CORE shop, wellness), Expert modules (CORE academy, candidate, genius, idea), and CORE dashboard as a custom homepage. The CORE Community App provides mobile access on iOS and Android with optional white-label branding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CORE lite: Basic package with 5 communication modules for agile employee communication and mobile employee relationship management.
• CORE standard
• CORE advanced
• CORE pocket
• CORE start

Products and services

• CORE lite Entry-level package of the CORE smartwork platform providing 5 core communication modules enabling simple, fast, and up-to-date employee communication; priced from 1.99 EUR per user; targeted at small businesses and agile teams.
• CORE standard Mid-tier customized solution offering 6-18 freely selectable modules from the CORE communication, organization, and expert suites for organizations that need flexibility in scope and feature selection.
• CORE advanced Premium all-in-one subscription tier providing access to all current and future CORE modules (communication, organization, recreation, expert) for complete employee relationship management coverage across the enterprise.
• CORE 2.0 Major platform release of the CORE smartwork ERM software providing a clearer, more attractive, and easier-to-use interface and underlying platform improvements across all packages.
• CORE Community App Mobile application for CORE smartwork customers providing access to all CORE platform features on iOS and Android devices; available via iOS App Store and Google Play.
• CORE White-label App Custom-branded edition of the CORE employee app featuring the customer's own company name, logo, and welcome screen for enhanced employer brand visibility; sold as an add-on to core packages.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% participation rate in internal surveys at Angerhofer GmbH with 80 active users
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fill Gesellschaft m.b.H.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFill Gesellschaft m.b.H. is a major shareholder in CORE smartwork and serves as the founding company where CORE was developed from a needs analysis of Fill's operations. Andreas Fill is a co-founder. The Fill Future Dome hosts the annual Employer Branding Forum. Fill serves as both strategic investor and key reference customer.
• Das Kommunikationshaus Bad Aussee (Kommhaus)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKommhaus, led by Dr. Maria Schoiswohl, is a co-shareholder and developed CORE together with CORE smartwork from inception in 2012. Kommhaus serves as both co-developer and long-term customer, using CORE daily for organizational development consulting work.
• Mindspace GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMindspace GmbH implemented the CORE smartwork website. Listed as exhibitor/partner at Employer Branding Forum events.
• MeinBezirk Oberösterreich (Media Partner)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional media partner for Employer Branding Forum events. Provides press coverage and content partnership for HR events.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Microsoft Viva: Microsoft Viva is the employee experience platform layered onto Microsoft 365 covering engagement, learning, communications and knowledge. A much larger incumbent whose bundled offering competes head-on with CORE's modular employee app, especially among Microsoft 365 customers.
• Workday: Workday is a global HCM/HRIS suite for large enterprises covering HR, talent, learning and people analytics. An enterprise incumbent whose broad modules overlap with CORE's Organization Suite and CORE academy e-learning functions for Fortune-class buyers.
• Slack (Salesforce): Slack is the dominant enterprise chat and channel-based collaboration platform now part of Salesforce, often used as a substitute or complement to dedicated employee apps. Competes with CORE's CORE info chat module and broader Communication Suite at scale.
• Personio: Personio is a leading European HRIS platform covering payroll, recruiting, onboarding and people analytics. A broader HR-suite incumbent that increasingly overlaps with CORE's Organization modules (digital personnel file, goal management, performance review).

Direct peers

• Haiilo (formerly COYO): Haiilo is a Hamburg-based employee communications and intranet platform with comparable mobile-first newsroom, surveys and recognition modules. Direct competitor targeting European mid-market and enterprise with similar feature taxonomy to CORE's Communication Suite.
• Workvivo: Workvivo is an employee communication and engagement app acquired by Zoom, offering intranet, newsroom, surveys and recognition. Direct overlap with CORE's Communication Suite modules for the same internal-communication buyer personas.
• Staffbase: Staffbase is a German-based employee communication and intranet platform targeting frontline and enterprise workforces with a mobile-first employee app. Directly competes with CORE smartwork in the DACH employee app category with comparable modular content, newsroom and survey capabilities.
• LumApps: LumApps is a French employee experience platform combining intranet, communications and workplace apps with deep Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 integrations. Comparable to CORE's all-in-one employee app positioning for the European enterprise market.
• Beekeeper: Beekeeper is a Swiss-headquartered frontline employee app combining internal communications, HR workflows and shift tooling. Comparable to CORE smartwork's mobile-first ERM with strong DACH/EMEA presence and overlapping SMB-to-enterprise targeting.

Emerging players

• HiBob: HiBob is a modern HRIS for SMB and mid-market targeting employee engagement, performance and people data. Comparable to CORE's Organization Suite for HR-led buyers, but with a stronger core-HR/data orientation versus CORE's app-first approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/COREsmartwork
• Facebookfacebook.com/coresmartwork

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 CORE smartwork