Microsoft invests in HR tech unicorn Darwinbox

HR tech unicorn, Darwinbox, has announced a collaboration with Microsoft to service organisations globally and across the MENA region.

Darwinbox’s cloud-based HCM platform caters to HR needs across the entire employee lifecycle with “new-age” employee experiences and disruptive AI-powered technology.

The partnership will see close integration between Darwinbox and the Microsoft’s product ecosystem, and collaboration on solutions to enhance employee experience.

Microsoft has also made an equity investment in Darwinbox.

The  partnership will accelerate joint go-to-market motions in all markets the human capital management (HCM) player operates in.

We are proud to announce that #Darwinbox and #Microsoft have embarked on a journey to collaborate to redefine the future of work. The partnership is the first of its kind in the global HCM market.

Read more: https://t.co/K8JPoVmeMr #MICROSOFTxDARWINBOX #HRTech @Microsoft pic.twitter.com/siDSqAakrL

— Darwinbox (@thedarwinbox) January 17, 2023

Supporting over 750 enterprises and two million employees across the globe, the company has clocked a 2.6x revenue growth and increased its headcount by 240 per cent in the MENA region since its Series D Unicorn funding round in January last year.

Read: Darwinbox accelerates MENA expansion after leaping to unicorn status

The company also recently opened its new office at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Jayant Paleti, co-founder, Darwinbox, said, “We’ve always had the highest regard for the Microsoft brand and ethos. As we align on the joint vision of helping our customers unlock new levels of employee experience and productivity, we’re excited to co-innovate on multiple lines of IP development and take these solutions to our customers globally.”

Wide portfolio of clients

In the MENA region, Darwinbox works with leading enterprises like Noon.com, Masafi, Alef Education, Retailo,  Mobily Infotech, Seepco, Eyewa, Shalina Healthcare, and Foodics along with select operations of Al Rajhi Bank, and the Lulu Group.

The company also serves leading international brands such as Nivea, Starbucks, Dominos, Sephora, Swarovski, Adidas, Zara, Lacoste, Calvin Klein, AXA, Tokio, Cigna, and T-Systems.

Paco Salcedo, GM Enterprise, Microsoft Middle East and Africa, said, “Startups across the country are innovating and finding new ways of doing business. We are pleased to work closely with leaders like Darwinbox, who are completely reimagining the frontiers of employee experience with the power of technology. Our collaboration with Darwinbox builds on our focus of co-innovating with our customers to empower organisations across the UAE to do more with less.”

Darwinbox to adopt Microsoft Azure

As part of this collaboration, Darwinbox will adopt Microsoft Azure to enhance its HCM SaaS platform.

Darwinbox’s mobile-first platform personalises employee experience by bringing HR transactions and experiences into the flow of work with Dynamics 365 and Office365 platforms like Microsoft Teams, Viva, and Active Directory.

Darwinbox has leveraged Microsoft’s PowerBI to further augment its AI-based predictive analytics engine, to build rich visual analytics dashboards, helping employees across customer organizations use data more effectively and power faster business decisions. Strategic product and engineering collaborations between the two companies will amplify innovation around workforce management, payroll management, benefits, talent management, and acquisition.