Startups > Staffbase

Staffbase

Staffbase helps enterprises reach every employee through multichannel internal communications.

Series E $295M total Founded 2014 Chemnitz, Sachsen 583 employees

Staffbase is an enterprise internal communications platform that reaches employees across all channels—mobile app, intranet, email, and AI assistant—with a specific focus on frontline workers without desk access. The platform centralizes company updates, news, and resources while ensuring AI-generated answers about the organization are accurate through content governance. Used by nearly 3,000 organizations including Adidas, DHL, and Siemens, Staffbase solves the critical gap that two-thirds of employees cannot be reached via traditional browser-based tools.

Problem solved

Over two-thirds of employees lack corporate email and desk access, making them unreachable through traditional internal communication channels.

Target customer

Large enterprise organizations (1,000+ employees) with significant frontline or distributed workforces, deep IT involvement, and need for structured top-down communications across multiple channels.

Website LinkedIn Crunchbase

Founders

Martin Böhringer

CEO & Co-Founder

Intranet and communication expert with PhD research background and prior CEO/co-founder role at Hojoki; holds Diploma in Management Information Systems from Technische Universität Chemnitz.

Lutz Gerlach

COO & Co-Founder

Limited public background information available.

Frank Wolf

CSO & Co-Founder

Limited public background information available.

Funding history

Seed Unknown November 2015 Led by Kizoo Technology Ventures

Series A $2.024M September 2016 Led by Capnamic Ventures · Kizoo Technology Ventures

Series B $10M June 2018 Led by e.ventures · Kizoo Technology Ventures, Capnamic Ventures

Series C $23M May 2019 Led by Insight Partners · Kizoo Technology Ventures, Capnamic Ventures, e.ventures

Series D $145M March 2021 Led by General Atlantic

Series E $115M March 2022 Led by General Atlantic · Insight Partners

Total raised: $295M

Industries

Business Information Systems Collaboration Private Social Networking Human Resources Virtual Workforce

Pricing

Starts at $30,000/year for minimum 1,000 employees. No detailed public pricing tiers; custom quotes based on company size and requirements. Enterprise pricing only.

Notable customers

Adidas, Audi, Alaska Airlines, Blue Apron, Brinks, Deutsche Telekom, DHL, H&M, Rio Tinto, Siemens, UC Health, Whataburger, YAGEO Group

Integrations

Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, AI assistant integrations

Website

staffbase.com/

Competitors

Slack

General team communication and chat tool with 93.63% market share in internal communications, but lacks focus on frontline worker reach and structured enterprise communications.

Microsoft 365

Broad enterprise platform where Staffbase is typically used alongside, not instead of, for specialized multichannel employee communication and content governance.

Beekeeper

Competitor focused on frontline worker engagement but with narrower feature set compared to Staffbase's multichannel approach.

Firstup

Provides employee communication tools but lacks Staffbase's depth in intranet, app integration, and AI-powered content governance.

Workvivo

Employee experience platform with broader social features but less specialized for frontline reach and structured communications.

Why this matters: Staffbase achieved unicorn status ($1.1B valuation) by solving a critical enterprise problem: reaching the two-thirds of employees who lack desk access and corporate email. As AI adoption in employee communications accelerates, its focus on content governance to ensure reliable AI-generated answers positions it uniquely in an increasingly important market.

Best for: Large enterprises with 1,000+ distributed or frontline employees who need to reach workers across mobile, intranet, email, and other channels simultaneously, and require reliable AI-generated answers about company policies.

Use cases

Reaching Frontline Workforce at Scale

DHL used Staffbase to communicate with 600,000 employees worldwide through a single Smart Workspace. This solved the critical problem of reaching factory floor, warehouse, and field workers who never access a corporate email or intranet, enabling real-time updates on safety procedures, shift changes, and company announcements.

Centralized Intranet and Mobile App Deployment

Alaska Air Group transformed employee engagement across 23,000+ employees by deploying a branded mobile app and modern intranet through Staffbase. Previously fragmented communication channels were consolidated, improving engagement metrics and ensuring consistent messaging across remote, office, and field locations.

Global Multi-Location Communication

YAGEO Group connected 40,000+ employees across 100+ global locations in just 4 months using Staffbase, establishing a single source of truth for company communications. The platform enabled HR and leadership to ensure messaging consistency across time zones and geographies while tracking engagement metrics.

AI-Powered Employee Assistance with Governance

Enterprises use Staffbase's AI Companion Editor to provide employees with instant answers to HR, IT, and company-specific questions while maintaining content governance to ensure accuracy. This reduces HR ticket volume by automating frequently asked questions while keeping AI responses aligned with official company policies and information.

Alternatives

Slack Pick Slack for general team communication and collaboration; pick Staffbase when you need to reach non-desk workers and enforce top-down structured communications.

monday.com Pick monday.com for work management and project tracking; pick Staffbase when internal communications and employee engagement across channels is the primary need.

Bitrix24 Pick Bitrix24 for an all-in-one SMB collaboration suite; pick Staffbase for enterprise-grade multichannel employee communications with frontline reach and content governance.

FAQ

What does Staffbase do? +

Staffbase is an internal communications platform that reaches every employee—whether they work at desks, on factory floors, or in the field—through a branded mobile app, intranet, email, and AI assistant. It centralizes company updates, news, resources, and enables organizations to maintain accurate, governed AI-generated answers about the organization that employees can trust.

How much does Staffbase cost? +

Staffbase pricing starts at $30,000/year for a minimum of 1,000 employees. Custom pricing is quoted based on company size, employee count, and required features. It is an enterprise-only solution not suitable for small or medium-sized businesses.

What are the main alternatives to Staffbase? +

Top alternatives include Slack (general team communication), Microsoft 365 (broad enterprise platform), Beekeeper (frontline engagement), Firstup (employee communications), and monday.com (work management). Staffbase is often used alongside Microsoft 365 rather than replacing it, providing specialized multichannel reach and frontline capabilities.

Who uses Staffbase? +

Staffbase serves nearly 3,000 large enterprise organizations, including Adidas, DHL, Alaska Airlines, Audi, Deutsche Telekom, H&M, Rio Tinto, Siemens, and others. Target customers are enterprises with 1,000+ employees, significant frontline or distributed workforces, and structured communication needs.

How does Staffbase compare to Slack? +

Slack dominates (93.63% market share) in general internal communication and team chat, but focuses on open messaging for connected workers. Staffbase specializes in reaching frontline and distributed employees without constant email/browser access, provides structured top-down communications, and offers content governance to ensure AI-generated answers are accurate. Most enterprises use both tools for different purposes.