Helping correct workplace biases, Iceland’s Empower brings in €2.2 million

Reykjavík-based Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion specialist Empower has raised €2.2 million in a seed funding round. The capital is slated to be used to help the startup further scale its DE&I methodologies, including bolstering benchmarking, training and analytics services on offer via the SaaS offer Empower NOW.

Founded in 2020 by serial entrepreneurs D. Thomsen and Thorey Vilhjalmsdottir Proppe, Empower lists both government and private sector organisations amongst its client base including the Icelandic Parliament, police organisations, universities, and international enterprises.

At its core, Empower helps these clients to reveal, address, and correct workplace biases and toxic cultural traits. The goal is to not only improve the working lives of all employees but also help the employer attract and retain a diverse talent pool.

“As we’ve seen with Iceland’s continued top ranking on Gender Equality, LBGTQIA+, peace and happiness indexes, the path to equality begins with an acknowledgment of biases within the workplace, systems, and society, and a willingness to change those workplaces, systems, and society,” commented Vilhjalmsdottir Proppe. “Empower tackles these same challenges within government and private organizations, creating solutions that address the significant market gap within the HR software sector, by providing an integrated solution centered specifically on DE&I.”

Empower’s €2.2 million seed-round was led by Frumtak Ventures and saw the participation of Tennin.

“We are proud of the positive social impact of this venture. It is imperative that organizations uncover and address the equality challenges that limit their success and the career successes of their employees, both for human and organizational health, as well as regulatory compliance,” added Frumtak’s Svana Gunnarsdottir. “Empower’s founders deeply understand the needs of HR and DE&I managers, as well as the employees they recruit to these organisations, and are using this breadth of experience to inform the dashboards and toolkits their solution provides, helping to foster more equal and inclusive organizations globally.”