Startup storytelling isn't just for closing deals. It's also for hiring, Bruce Marable says

That’s the main lesson that Bruce Marable , cofounder and CEO of HR tech startup Employee Cycle , got from his time in Comcast NBCUniversal’s future of work-focused LIFT Labs A ccelerator powered by Techstars , which ended in November after 12 intensive weeks.In 2019, he and cofounder  Salas Saraiya teamed up on Employee Cycle, which automates HR reporting by bringing disconnected employee data across HR systems into one centralized, real-time, shareable dashboard.A recent hire is Employee Cycle’s first international employee, Canadian Daphne McLarty, whom the founders met through Techstars.She’s the company’s chief of staff, a role often added later in the game; Employee Cycle has just four full-time employees.

5 million seed round now, with plans to expand Employee Cycle’s go-to-market and development teams.The current seed round Employee Cycle is working on comes from a mix of local and non-local investors, and he said he’s noticed a small uptick in local angel and early-stage investors.