Sora announced a $5.3 million initial funding round for its low-code/no-code solution for HR. Low-code/No-code solutions give businesses the ability to develop automated workflows using pre-packaged blocks of code that require no coding skills. The trend emerged in B2B applications in about 2017 and has found its home with “departmental apps, database creation, and experimental platforms for new ideas,” according to CIO. Similar to the analysis as AI automation emerged in the same timeframe, most of the tech leaders and providers we talk to agree with Tech Republic’s assessment that low-code/no-code isn’t going to replace developers any time soon.

Low-code/no-code solutions are already emerging to drive workflow in applications for recruitment marketing and candidate engagement in applications like Meet & Engage, in recruitment marketing platforms like Beamery, applicant tracking systems like gr8People, and myriad other applications throughout the employee experience. Simply put, wherever you can base workflows to engage candidates or employees based upon actions (“triggers”) including the sending of data to additional applications, all in a visual interface, you are seeing the emergence and impact of low-code/no-code. For example, Ceridian demonstrated a visual interface for client-led onboarding and data migration to their HRIS in 2017. Anyplace where HR and talent leaders are spending time in the “plumbing” of creating or managing workflows versus in the workflow/flow of work, there is potential for automation and thus, the potential for low-code/no-code.

SMB and middle-markets have widely adopted this approach in marketing, CRM, and productivity. The success of “automation marketplaces” like Zapier and IFTTT are examples. This market segment with fewer HR and IT resources, and an increasingly mature technical and data appetite for its HR leaders seems to be a good home for solutions like Sora. While Sora is the first serious early mover in the HR tech market focused on the space, I expect to see more funding in this category, and a quick move to mergers and acquisitions as legacy platform players look to address the emerging trend.

*This update originally appeared in HR Wins

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