Key Takeaways:
- Significant Funding Round: Seso, an innovative workforce management platform for the agriculture sector, announces a $26M Series B funding led by BOND, with contributions from Index Ventures, NFX, SV Angel, and other notable investors.
- Platform Expansion: The investment will be used to enhance Seso’s offerings, including AI-enabled payroll, banking and remittance solutions for farm workers, and a comprehensive HR platform tailored for agribusiness employers.
- Addressing Labor Challenges: Seso aims to mitigate the agriculture industry’s labor shortage by providing digital solutions for hiring and managing seasonal workforces while ensuring compliance with government regulations.
- Supporting Farm Workers and Employers: The platform not only streamlines the H-2A visa process for migrant workers but also offers extensive back-office workflow and HR management tools for farmers.
Revolutionizing Agriculture Workforce Management with Seso
Seso, a leading workforce management platform dedicated to the agriculture industry, has successfully closed a $26M Series B funding round. The round was led by BOND, with participation from Index Ventures, NFX, SV Angel, and several of Seso’s customers, highlighting the platform’s impact and potential for growth.
Expanding Services to Meet Agribusiness Needs
The fresh capital injection will facilitate the expansion of Seso’s platform capabilities, introducing an AI-enabled payroll solution, a banking and remittance solution catered to farm workers, and a comprehensive HR platform designed specifically for agribusiness employers. This development promises to equip farmers with the tools necessary to scale operations effectively, meet seasonal demands, and transition from traditional methods to more efficient digital solutions.
Tackling the Labor Shortage Crisis
Michael Guirguis, Co-Founder and CEO of Seso, emphasized the critical labor challenges facing the agriculture sector. “The biggest risk to their business is labor,” Guirguis pointed out, highlighting the importance of a digital system to streamline hiring and management processes. Seso’s solution addresses the growing reliance on the H-2A visa program, simplifying the complex application process and reducing the common delays that negatively impact harvest timelines.
Streamlining Visa Applications and HR Management
By digitalizing the H-2A visa application and management process, Seso offers a lifeline to farms navigating the intricacies of hiring seasonal agricultural workers from abroad. The platform’s expansion beyond visa automation into a full-stack HR solution positions Seso at the forefront of technological innovation in the agriculture sector.
Industry Support and Vision for the Future
Mary Meeker, General Partner at BOND, praised Seso’s digital vision and its potential to address long-standing labor shortages in agriculture. “We are excited to partner with Seso as they help farm workers succeed and provide a generational step forward in business software solutions for agriculture employers,” Meeker said.
Since its inception in 2021, Seso has garnered significant traction, with hundreds of farms adopting its platform, including 27 of the industry’s 100 largest employers. The introduction of AI and comprehensive HR solutions by Seso is poised to transform the agricultural labor market, making processes more efficient and supporting the sector’s continued growth and productivity.
“We are building the most comprehensive HR system ever created for agriculture while ensuring it’s simple and easy to use,” said Jordan Taylor, Co-Founder and Head of Product at Seso, highlighting the transformative impact of AI on agricultural HR and payroll processes.
