Workplace technology founders have less than two weeks to submit their applications. The 2027 SHRM Labs WorkplaceTech Accelerator (WTA) stops accepting applications on Nov. 1, 2026, and the program selects one cohort a year, which will take place at the end of March 2027.
The window opened Sept. 1. SHRM Labs will pick its sixth annual cohort from the pool, and last year’s numbers show how narrow the door is: nearly 400 startups applied for the 2026 program. Four got in.
Benefits of Being Selected for the 2027 WTA
The 14-week hybrid program runs March 23 through July 30, 2027. Each selected company receives:
- A $200,000 SAFE note investment from SHRM Labs, with access to its investor network and the potential for milestone-based follow-on funding.
- A curated advisory council of HR and business executives.
- Virtual and in-person sessions on business development, the HR market, and product refinement.
- Showcases at SHRM’s major conferences, including the SHRM HR-X Live!, June 27–30 in Chicago, in front of thousands of HR decision-makers.
- A permanent place in the SHRM Labs alumni network after completion.
Founders from the 2026 cohort say the network, not the check, is the asset. “Creating a new category requires more than a great product,” said Sarah Rodehorst, CEO and co-founder of Onwards HR. “It requires trusted partners who elevate your thinking, validate your strategy, and connect you with the right customers.”
Namrata Kamdar, COO and co-founder of Testlify, put it more bluntly: “SHRM Labs gave Testlify what capital can’t — the network, credibility, and candid feedback to scale a bootstrapped company the right way.”
Who Should Apply?
The accelerator is built for growth-stage companies with a product in market, not an idea on a slide. To be eligible, a startup must:
- Be incorporated as a for-profit company.
- Offer an HR technology product, not solely a service.
- Sit at the seed stage, Series A or Series B.
- Show strong market traction with paying customers.
- Have a ready-to-scale solution already improving work, the workforce or the workplace.
- Commit to the full program, March 23–July 30, 2027, including kick-off events March 23–24 at SHRM headquarters in Washington, D.C., one additional SHRM-hosted conference chosen by SHRM Labs, and the SHRM HR-X Live! in Chicago.
The 2026 cohort shows the range SHRM Labs is looking for: companies helping managers lead through AI-driven change, keeping human judgment in AI-supported workplace investigations, verifying candidate skills as generative AI reshapes hiring, and modernizing compliance-heavy offboarding.
Why Founders Should Not Wait
Getting in takes more than a strong product. Every application moves through several rounds of review, from initial screening to interviews, leadership review and due diligence, and at each step SHRM Labs is looking for the same things: a mature product, real market traction, a viable business, a capable team and a clear connection to the future of work. The founders who tell their story best are the ones who give themselves time to tell it well.
SHRM President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, has been clear about the bar. “Technology is changing how work gets done, but innovation for innovation’s sake isn’t enough,” he said. “The real measure of workplace technology is whether it solves problems and drives better outcomes for workers and businesses.”
Founders who can make the case have less than two weeks to make it.
Applications for the 2027 SHRM Labs WorkplaceTech Accelerator close Nov. 1, 2026.
Nominate a Company for the 2027 WorkplaceTech Accelerator
HR leaders: know a startup doing work the 2026 cohort would recognize? SHRM Labs takes nominations from anyone, at any time.
SHRM Labs is the workplace innovation lab and venture capital arm of SHRM, the world's largest HR network. Focused on inspiring innovation and solving today's most pressing workplace challenges, SHRM Labs runs the WorkplaceTech Accelerator, which since 2022 has helped growth-stage workplace technology startups scale through a $200K investment from SHRM, curated advisory councils, and direct access to SHRM's global community of HR leaders.
