HR tech industry veteran George LaRocque says that the HR Tech Conference has always been the “de facto place for investors and start-ups” in the HR technology space to make connections. But this year, these conversations won’t happen only on the Expo floor or over coffee.
New in 2023: Innovation Summit
LaRocque is the founder and principal analyst at WorkTech and a 2023 Top 100 Tech Influencer. He’s also chair of the Innovation Summit. This debut event will bring HR tech investors together with start-ups and scale-ups on Oct. 9 and 10. Having been involved in planning this event for several years, LaRocque says the goal of the Innovation Summit is to make meetings between these parties more efficient.
LaRocque told Human Resource Executive that there will be more than 40 pitch presentations from start-ups and scale-ups running across several tracks, as well as moderated sessions and panels, including the highly anticipated Insights from Talent Acquisition Platform Global CEOs, featuring Daniel Chait of Greenhouse Software, Pete Lamson of Jobvite and Michael DeSimone of SmartRecruiters.
Attendees will also get data and reports from WorkTech including 2023 VC and Growth Capital Investment; 2023 M&A with Contribution from Investment Bankers and Analysts; Market Trend Report; and HR Tech Start-up Show Guide.
HR leaders gain tech investment insight
“What’s extra exciting is that there are new VCs with funds focused in this space,” says LaRocque, indicating that hundreds of investors will be in the room at the Innovation Summit. Accelerators, incubators, angel investors, banks, corporate investors and more will be among the mix.
LaRocque is a leading voice in the work tech investment space, and his keynote at the event will evaluate merger and acquisition activity and key sectors in the investment spotlight. He’ll also share his perspective on market patterns and growth capital performance, based on his many years of research in the HR tech space.
It’s a time of remarkable shifts within the global workforce, and HR technology has facilitated advancements at a rapid pace. “The six quarters from Q1 2021 through H1 2022 obliterated all records previously set in 2019 and 2020,” according to a recent update from WorkTech. “While falling from those heights over the last four quarters is jarring, the fact remains that the work tech category continues to perform differently than the VC market at large, trending ahead of 2019 and 2020.”
For HR leaders, this equals an opportunity to experience oncoming tech before it enters the market. This will help shape conversations and forecasts in a season where looking ahead has been notoriously challenging, LaRocque says. If you don’t have your registration yet, limited spots for the Innovation Summit are still available and can be added to your HR Tech Conference admission.
