Selfless.ly, a high-growth Software-as-a-Community startup and Certified B Corporation, announced plans to expand its operations in central Indiana to support the growth of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) platform.
“In Indiana, we’re committed to cultivating an entrepreneurial ecosystem that offers the support, resources and access to capital that startups like Selfless.ly need to innovate and grow their operations,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger. “We’re excited to support Selfless.ly through their continued success in Indiana as the company scales its CSR platform, partnering with global businesses committed to increasing their social impact and driving change in their communities.”
Selfless.ly, which officially launched its platform this month, participated in the inaugural cohort of gener8tor's gBETA program, a free, seven-week accelerator program for early-stage companies, and recently closed on a pre-seed funding round led by Indiana Spine Ventures and other local investors. Now, the company is set to grow, investing in its virtual foundation platform that enables companies to demonstrate social responsibility through channels like volunteering, monetary giving and in-kind services.
“Our pre-seed round of funding is a testament to the diverse local investors who’ve shown they value the impact of Selfless.ly and diverse entrepreneurs,” said Joshua Driver, co-founder and CEO of Selfless.ly. “This raise will allow our company to roll out the platform to a larger audience, continue growing our team and enter into several new national partnerships which will directly benefit great causes that our clients, employees and communities care about.”
To support continued growth, the company expects to add five positions by the end of 2020 and plans to significantly ramp up hiring over the next few years. Selfless.ly will begin hiring for positions in customer success, engineering and sales in early 2020. Interested applicants may apply online.
“The continued innovation of Indianapolis entrepreneurs helps to strengthen our community and diversify our economy,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Indy’s booming tech ecosystem rivals the best in the nation, and I’m proud to see this mission-driven organization not only grow as a company, but help other organizations grow as responsible corporate citizens. Congratulations to Joshua and his expanding team at Selfless.ly.”
Founded in 2017, Selfless.ly’s mission is to reshape corporate culture through technology that helps companies contribute to making their communities a better place. The company’s innovative platform centralizes the three key components of CSR programs: time, talent and treasure. Selfless.ly is a certified LGBT Business Enterprise and Indiana’s first dual-certified domestic benefit corporation and B Corp.
Following the company’s participation in gBETA, Zach Rodenbarger joined the company in late 2018 as co-founder and chief operating officer to launch the next iteration of the cloud-based software and expand its reach outside of Indiana. The company currently leases space at the Union 525 Building in Indianapolis and plans to evaluate options for growing its footprint in downtown Indianapolis as the team grows.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) offered Selfless.ly up to $1.75 million in conditional tax credits and up to $100,000 in training grants based on the company’s high-wage job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim incentives once Hoosiers are hired. The city of Indianapolis supports the project at the request of Develop Indy.
During 2016 and 2017, tech jobs in the Indianapolis metro grew at a rate of 18.4%, which is more than double the U.S. average and ranks sixth across U.S. and Canada, according to CBRE’s Tech-30 report.