Work Shield, the Dallas-based startup behind technology for reporting, investigating, and resolving harassment and discrimination in the workplace, has closed on a $4.11 million Series A funding round.
The financing was led by Dallas-based Hoak & Co. in partnership with Jeff Estes and other individual and strategic investors.
“The product and team at Work Shield are true standouts in the Human Resources ecosystem,” Hoak & Co’s Britain Peakes said in a statement. “Work Shield’s ability to reach this level of success organically proves its relevance in the marketplace and strength of its solution and client relationships.”
The money will go toward boosting Work Shield’s tech, which the startup says is the only full-service independent solution of its kind. Work Shield also plans to bolster its sales team, improve its infrastructure to gain new clients, and accelerate its development roadmap.
“Our team is excited about the opportunity to expand and continue providing real voices for employees, as well as real protection and guidance for companies to ultimately build positive, safe and sustainable workplace cultures,” Founder and CEO Jared Pope said in a statement. “The financing will allow us to serve more people and be an actionable, measured solution for companies looking to take a stand against discrimination and harassment in the workplace.”
Pope is an HR and ERISA attorney who started Work Shield in 2018 to change the culture around workplace harassment. The third-party platform allows employees to address any work-related issues, but upon submitting a report, Work Shield independently conducts an investigation and recommends a solution. The method completely removes the employer and fear from the process.
The intent is to redefine how companies approach Title VII and workplace issues. Work Shield describes its process as combining a safe and secure reporting platform with its certified legal professionals to make sure every reported incident is fully and impartially investigated and resolved.
In all, Pope and his team hope to minimize employers’ liability, empower employees, and improve workplace culture.
“I’m most excited about our exponential growth, the positive social and financial impact we are making on workplace culture across the country, and how we basically took concepts from healthcare and benefits, applied it to the legal industry, and are now the leading force with an innovative approach to protecting employers and providing employees a respectful workplace for the common good of everyone,” Pope told Dallas Innovates last year. “I really enjoy helping others, and Work Shield allows me to help numerous employers and their thousands, if not millions, of employees.”
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