Included Acquisition Marks New Chapter for People Analytics Startup

In a significant development for Seattle’s tech landscape, people analytics startup Included has been acquired by Pennsylvania-based HR technology company Phenom. The announcement, made this past Wednesday, represents a major milestone for the Seattle-area company that has spent the last five years building sophisticated analytics tools to help organizations strengthen their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. While the financial details of the acquisition remain undisclosed, the move signals Phenom’s strategic interest in expanding its AI capabilities in the human resources space through Included’s specialized technology. The acquisition brings together Included’s innovative people analytics approach with Phenom’s established global presence in the human resources technology sector.

Included’s journey began in 2021, launched in response to the social justice movement sparked by George Floyd’s murder and the subsequent corporate awakening around diversity issues. Founded by the leadership team of Raghu Gollamudi, Chandan Golla, and Laura Close, the startup initially focused on helping companies make data-driven decisions around DEI initiatives. However, as the company evolved, it expanded its analytics capabilities to address broader workforce challenges including employee retention, engagement strategies, recruitment efficiency, and performance management. This expansion reflected the team’s growing understanding that effective people management requires a holistic approach spanning the entire employee lifecycle. Over its five-year history, Included successfully raised $5.4 million in venture funding, including a significant $3.5 million seed round led by Trilogy Equity Partners, with participation from FlyingFish, SignalFire, Ascend, and Alumni Ventures.

For Included’s CEO Raghu Gollamudi, the acquisition represents an acceleration of the company’s original vision. “By integrating Included into Phenom’s Applied AI platform, we’ll bring more Native AI and Agentic AI into people analytics — so teams can move from static dashboards to insights that are timely, actionable, and embedded in how work actually happens,” Gollamudi shared in his LinkedIn announcement. This integration points to a future where people analytics moves beyond traditional reporting to become an active, AI-enhanced component of everyday workplace decisions. Gollamudi brings significant experience to the table, having previously co-founded privacy tech startup Integris Software (acquired by OneTrust in 2020) and spent nine years as a principal development lead at Microsoft. This acquisition marks his second successful exit in the technology sector, reinforcing his track record of building innovative solutions that address complex organizational challenges.

The small but mighty Included team, comprising fewer than 15 employees according to LinkedIn data, will join Phenom’s larger organization as part of the acquisition. John Deal, Phenom’s senior director of product marketing, emphasized the human aspect of the deal in the announcement, noting that Phenom would “welcome the Included team and customers to the Phenom family.” This language suggests Phenom’s intention to preserve Included’s existing customer relationships while integrating the team’s expertise into its broader platform. The acquisition will likely mean significant changes for Included’s co-founders and team members as they transition from a small, independent startup to being part of a larger, established HR technology company with global reach and resources. While details about the specifics of the integration remain forthcoming, the acquisition represents both an ending and a beginning for the Seattle-based startup.

The leadership team that guided Included to this milestone brings diverse experiences that helped shape the company’s approach to people analytics. Co-founder Chandan Golla, who served as Included’s chief product and customer officer, previously held the position of vice president of products at Integris Software and spent more than a decade at eBay, bringing valuable product development expertise to the table. Laura Close, co-founder and chief business development officer, contributed a different perspective, having worked in career consulting and labor organization support before co-founding Included. Close has already begun a new professional chapter as CEO of Close Cohen, a firm specializing in job search and executive coaching services. This mix of technical, product, and people-focused expertise created a leadership team capable of addressing the multifaceted challenges of workplace analytics.

Looking ahead, the acquisition positions Included’s technology to potentially reach a much wider audience through Phenom’s established market presence. For Phenom, the addition of Included’s specialized analytics capabilities represents an opportunity to enhance its AI-powered HR platform with more sophisticated people analytics tools. As organizations continue to prioritize effective workforce management and inclusive workplace practices, the combined technologies of Phenom and Included could offer more comprehensive solutions to these challenges. While questions remain about exactly how Included’s technology will be integrated into Phenom’s existing offerings, the acquisition underscores the growing importance of AI-driven analytics in shaping how companies understand, support, and develop their most valuable asset—their people. For Seattle’s technology ecosystem, the acquisition adds another chapter to the region’s history of incubating innovative startups that go on to influence larger technology platforms and practices.