EXCLUSIVE: Hour One wins the UNLEASH Startup competition
The inside track from the longest running startup competition in the US.
Why You Should Care
One of the highlights of UNLEASH shows is the startup competition.
Find out more about this year's winner at UNLEASH America in Las Vegas.
UNLEASH America is full of buzz and incredible vibes. But there was a real energy around the innovation stage on Day One as five HR startups battled it out to win the longest running startup competition in the US.
UNLEASH Startup was moderated by the Peter Phelan, CEO and co-founder of ValuesCulture. And there were five HR connoisseurs with the power to decide who would walk away with the $50,000 cheque.
A huge thanks to Phelan, as well as our esteemed UNLEASH Startup judging panel: Josh Bersin, Sarah White from Aspect43, HPE’s Sadie Bell, Maureen Jules-Perez of Capital One, Unit4’s Mike Ettling, Gerry Crispin, Nucleus Research’s Trevor White and Benjamin Visser from allygator.
The competition was hotly contested, but after deliberation by the judges Hour One came out on top. Huge credit goes to the teams at Mirza, Crooton, and NoahFace – plus Equidi the winner from the semi-final UNLEASH Startup Lightning Round.
In addition to winning an enormous cheque, Hour One also won access to an exclusive sit down with the UNLEASH Startup judge and the HR industry’s leading analyst, Josh Bersin.
A bright future for Hour One
Coming out on top in the UNLEASH Startup competition is a huge achievement for Hour One – their UNLEASH stand has been full since the win.
For those not here at the show or who unfortunately missed the UNLEASH Startup competition, Hour One is a game-changing AI platform for video communications.
In the world of HR, organizations can use Hour One’s AI technology to upgrade their communications around talent sourcing, onboarding and employer branding at scale with ease.
This will have a huge impact on talent attraction, talent retention and employee engagement – plus these videos can help HR answer common questions at scale, thereby freeing up the team to focus on more strategic initiatives.
The communications upgrade is done with the help of Hour One’s virtual avatars which are based on real humans. This helps provide that personal touch, and enables companies to communicate seamlessly in multiple languages so all employees are marching to the beat of the same drum.
The startup is already working with some of the biggest brands on their video communications. Examples include Berlitz, DreamWorks, Microsoft and Intel.
Hour One’s win at UNLEASH America comes as video is becoming the top way that people consume content, and as avatars and the metaverse gains momentum in the world of work.
Hour One’s CEO Oren Aharon tells UNLEASH: “We are thrilled to be winners of the UNLEASH America Startup. We are excited about how our generative video platform can help scale and augment asynchronous communications in the workplace.”
The UNLEASH Startup moderator and HR influencer Phelan exclusively shares: “The solution wowed the judges with uniqueness of offering, speed of setup for individuals (mere minutes!) and being very much well timed for this very moment in the world of work”.
