Icelandic startup secures $6 million to build out Its AI operating system for people workflows

The HR technology company 50skills has raised $6 million in a funding round co-led by Frumtak Ventures, Swiss Post Ventures, Avant, and DRD Investments. Co-founded by CEO Kristján Freyr Kristjánsson, the Reykjavík-born startup develops an operating system for people workflows that combines automated processes, AI agents, and human oversight. The company offers two main products, an applicant tracking system called Hire and an AI-powered process platform called Journeys, to help human resources teams manage tasks across their existing systems.

The platform handles millions of actions such as onboarding, contracts, employee requests, approvals, and background checks. Major brands and public-sector bodies in Iceland, the Nordics, and the UK use the software to automate routine duties. For example, Icelandair eliminated months of administrative work, Air Atlanta saves 50 hours weekly on visa processing, Íslandshótel cut benefit application processing time by 80 percent, and Samskip unified workflows across four companies.

The funding will allow 50skills to expand its sales, marketing, and community teams while investing further in its platform and AI capabilities. The company addresses a significant industry hurdle identified in research showing that HR departments spend up to 57 percent of their time on administration, while many professionals lack AI awareness or resources. By balancing deterministic workflows, probabilistic AI agents, and strict human oversight, the platform allows organizations to safely integrate artificial intelligence into sensitive personnel operations.