Deel Inc.

Deel is an American payroll and human resources company, based in San Francisco, California. The company provides hiring, payments, and workforce management services for companies hiring international employees and contractors.
Deel was founded in 2019 by Alex Bouaziz, Shuo Wang, and Ofer Simon. Bouaziz and Wang met while studying at MIT in 2013. The founders launched Deel after encountering difficulty hiring international workers for their previous ventures.
Deel launched after entering the Y Combinator startup accelerator in 2019. The company then raised several rounds of funding. In May 2020, venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz led a $14 million Series A round. In September 2020, Spark Capital led a $48 million Series B. In April 2021, Deel raised $156 million in a Series C round, with participation from a16z and other investors, becoming a unicorn. In October 2021, Coatue and DST Global led a $425 million in a Series D. Deel also raised $50 million in May 2022, with contributions from impact investor, Emerson Collective, valuing the company at $12 billion.
As Deel expanded, Forbes reported "a five-person “Navy SEAL” team" went from country to country to quickly incorporate new local business entities. It also began to make acquisitions to increase its owned infrastructure as well as HR and payroll services.
Deel's business grew from $4m Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) in 2020, to $54M ARR in 2021, $100M ARR in 2022; $500M in ARR; and in February of 2025, Deel reported it hit an annual revenue run rate of $800M, adding General Catalyst to its cap table, as part of a $300 million secondary share sale.
In February 2025, it reported having 5,000 employees.
In March 2023, former workers claimed they were miscategorized. In June 2023, California state senator Steve Padilla sent a formal request to the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency asking them to investigate the allegations. Deel denied the allegations and engaged with lawmakers to address their concerns.
Deel, in 2024, created a "Future of Work" advisory board that includes Elaine Chao, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and Labor; Heidi Heitkamp, former senator from North Dakota; Seth Harris, former acting U.S. Secretary of Labor; and Charlotte Corley, former banking and consumer finance commissioner for Mississippi.
A federal RICO lawsuit filed in January 2025 against Deel accuses the company of flouting anti-money laundering regulations and facilitating the evasion of U.S. sanctions against Russia. The lawsuit stems from a court-appointed receiver seeking to recover damages from an SEC case against Brent Seaman of Surge Capital Ventures. While the complaint alleges Deel violated certain Florida licensing requirements, it acknowledges the company has since obtained proper licensing in the state. Deel denies any wrongdoing, and in January 2025 filed a Motion to Dismiss, calling the lawsuit baseless, and "a coordinated effort by a major investor in Deel’s primary competitor". Deel continues to expand its compliance efforts through its DPayments subsidiary, which has obtained 26 state licenses for money transmission as of early 2025. Deel has not been accused of any wrongdoing by the SEC.
In March 2025, Rippling filed a complaint against Deel, accusing Deel of corporate espionage. Deel has denied any wrongdoing.
By the end of 2024 Deel had acquired 11 companies including payroll and bookkeeping software company Zeitgold; HR software company, Roots; Australian-based payroll company, Paygroup; immigration startup, Legalpad; Capbase, a 'people development' startup based in Munich, Germany; Zavvy, Payspace, an African-based payroll engine; IT device management service, Hofy; London-based money transfer service, Atlantic Money; compensation management startup, Assemble; and Safeguard Global’s payroll division.
The company offers workforce solutions for companies to hire, pay, and manage remote workers. Deel hires employees through their own local entity on a company's behalf, acting as the employer of record and managing compliance with employment laws in each country. This service includes managing benefits including health insurance, equity, tax advice and employee perks. Deel currently owns around 150 entities globally and manages in-house, in-country payroll teams in over 70 countries, in addition to offering employer of record, contractor, immigration, HRIS, and performance management services. The company processes international payrolls, allowing withdrawals in different currencies.
Deel also assists with creating contracts that comply with local labor laws using templates. It also helps workers access health insurance and provides immigration advice about visa processes to companies.