In a perfect world, anyone would be able to recruit talent from all over the world with few hassles, and candidates would be able to move between countries and choose where they want to work with ease. But unfortunately, requirements for visas, quotas, and so on make that complicated for many companies, which leads to them missing out on a diverse range of skilled candidates. German start-up Localyze addresses this problem by taking on and simplifying all aspects of global mobility within an enterprise – visas, relocation, bureaucratic nuances such as police registration, and many others.
Hire and manage talent beyond borders
Localyze was founded in 2018 by Hanna Asmussen (CEO), Lisa Dahlke (COO), and Franziska Löw (CTO). The company offers businesses the management of the end-to-end process of supporting international candidates and employees with relocation, temporary and permanent transfer, and onboarding. It also manages international business trips and provides guidelines for employees about visa requirements and regulations, amongst other global mobility support.
The offering consists of a SaaS solution (International employee relocation as-a-service). The solution automates and streamlines the tasks related to immigration administration like visa and work permit applications, tracks visa application dates and deadlines, help with settling in a new country (e.g. opening a bank account), notifies employees about any changes, and other mobility tasks. Localyze’s software is built on a no-code solution, which makes it easily scalable.
How it works
A prospective customer can schedule a free demo of the solution. If they decide to work with Localyze, they’re offered three pricing packages:
- 49 EUR per month for the Starter package, which includes 1 HR user, the knowledge section, the notifications, and 2 pre-checks.
- 199 EUR per month for the Business package, which includes all of the Starter package offerings, plus up to 3 HR users, integration to HR tools like Workday, multiple locations, and 10 pre-checks.
- 499 EUR per month for the Enterprise package, which includes all of the perks of the Business plan, plus unlimited HR users, a whitelabel account, a dedicated KAM, and unlimited pre-checks.
Pre-checks are feedback about a specific candidate’s visa requirements and timeframes for relocation. A Localyze representative confirmed to me that the company doesn’t currently offer recruitment or sourcing of candidates. However, a client can decide through these pre-checks whether recruiting a candidate from a specific location is for them.
It appears that the business package is the starting point for enterprises. The kind of decentralization of the workforce facilitated by Localyze can significantly reduce the time HR managers spend on figuring out the formalities of each country, reduce the costs of hiring local consultants, and reduce the risks of non-compliance.
The future of working
According to the company’s representative, companies are now more open to hiring people internationally, thanks to the “working from anywhere” and “hybrid setups” scenarios accelerated by the pandemic. According to a study done by Localyze, 85% of HR professionals are planning for a hybrid approach post-pandemic, with a mix of in-person hubs and remote work. Therefore, locations and relocations of employees will remain a significant part of the HR strategy.
“Global mobility and international relocation provide various benefits for employers, such as widening their talent pool [which] usually results in a more diverse team with higher creativity, productivity, and perspective, providing a competitive edge versus competition”, as stated by the representative. In 2019, Localyze participated in the YCombinator Summer acceleration program. And earlier this summer, they raised $12m in a Series A funding. The goal is to use the funding to expand into new regions within Europe, according to the company.
Asmussen shares that “Our customers’ employees are taking WFH beyond international borders, and we plan to be the go-to solution that allows companies to compliantly operate a decentralized, international setup that can win them the best talent.” If anything, Localyze is something that companies can consider as they move forward in working across the globe.
YouTube: Digital employee relocation support with Localyze
Photo credit: Images have been provided by Localyze for press use.
Sources: Natasha Lomas (TechCrunch) / Iris Dorbian (Venture Capital Journal)
