UNLEASH's famous startup competition has gone digital!
Confirm has been named as the first of winner of our new digital award.
"Thank you for giving us the opportunity to tell the world about how we're fixing performance reviews for good," says Confirm's CEO Josh Merrill.
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Startups have always been a central part of the UNLEASH HR ecosystem.
But this year we have decided to put an even bigger spotlight on these small, emerging businesses by hosting not one, not two, but three competitions for the most innovative startups in the HR and future of work space!
We know the HR leaders in our network keep a keen eye on which firms will shape the next wave of inspirational HR tech.
In addition to a startup award at each of our world-leading HR events, UNLEASH America and UNLEASH World, for the first time ever, we have launched a global version in a brand-new digital format.
On Friday 15 September, four finalists – Albert, Siit, Workelo and Confirm – battled it out virtually in front of our panel of esteemed judges to be named the winner of the UNLEASH Digital Startup Competition.
The competition was fierce, but ultimately coming out on top was Confirm.
The US-based startup is using science to rethink performance management; co-founder and CEO Josh Merrill opened his pitch by declaring “let’s face it performance reviews deserve a PIP”. The current process was created 100 years ago when work was much more solitary, but now work is about networks and collaboration.
He shared that Confirm’s technology “makes sure managers are having the right conversations” – this means it works for in-person teams, but also hybrid and remote workers.
Talking about the win, Merrill exclusively tells UNLEASH: “We are thrilled to be announced as this year’s Unleash Digital Startup Competition recipient.
“Thank you for giving us the opportunity to tell the world about how we’re fixing performance reviews for good, powered by organizational network analysis, and unbiased analytics.
“We know the UNLEASH audience is among the best for HR leaders in the world, so having a way to connect with that audience and be given the opportunity to be seen by them as the UNLEASH digital startup recipient has been an amazing opportunity; thanks again.”
A huge thank you to our six wonderful judges for taking the time to listen to all four pitches, and share their expert insights.
Dmitry Firskin, chief investment officer at Altair Capital
Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s VP of innovation and automation Sadie Bell
All four startups who pitched in the finale of the Digital Startup Competition will now receive two tickets each to attend UNLEASH World in Paris on 17-18 October.
But Confirm’s special prize for winning is a free stand for either UNLEASH America 2024 or UNLEASH World 2024, as well as taking the final spot in our UNLEASH World 2023 Startup Award.
We will be exclusively announcing the other four finalists for the UNLEASH World competition on 29 September – stay tuned.
Eagle eyed UNLEASH readers will have noticed we have already started to also announce some of the judges for UNLEASH World award.
The full list will also be live on unleash.ai on 29 September. Watch this space!
Startups at UNLEASH World
Startups are a core part of the UNLEASH ecosystem. Alumni winners of our prestigious startup competitions include Peakon (now part of Workday), OneTeam, Talent Alpha and Hour One.
Want to watch Confirm and the four other finalists pitch live? Grab your ticket to join us at UNLEASH World 2023 in Paris.
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