Why Circinaut Is Becoming an Oregon Benefit Company

Author: Rian Schmidt

12/28/2024

At Circinaut, we believe that business can be a powerful tool for good. As the creators of Humanaiz, our suite of AI-powered performance management tools, our mission is to make work life better for as many people as we can reach. That mission is a driving principle that shapes how we design our products, engage with our customers, and make decisions about the future of our company. That’s why we’ve decided to take the next step in formalizing our commitment by becoming an Oregon Benefit Company.

The Human Element of AI

Humanaiz was born from the idea that performance management tools should do more than implement HR processes—they should enhance the lives of the people who use them. We’ve seen firsthand how traditional tools often fail to meet the needs of employees and managers alike. They can be overly rigid, time-consuming, or worse, reinforce unconscious biases.

That’s where Humanaiz comes in. We continue to learn new and innovative ways to leverage AI to identify inefficiencies and biases in performance reviews, goal tracking, and feedback cycles. For example, our tools help managers deliver more effective, timely feedback while ensuring that evaluations are consistent and fair across diverse teams. The result? Employees feel heard and supported, managers are empowered to lead with clarity, and organizations become stronger and more engaged.

By becoming a Benefit Company, we’re codifying our dedication to making work better—for our customers, our vendors, and our employees.

Choosing Purpose Over Profit

As an Oregon Benefit Company, we’re committing to prioritize values over shareholder returns. For us, this means:

• Focusing on Value for Customers: Everything we build is aimed at enhancing our customers’ ability to create fair, equitable workplaces. If our tools can help just one employee feel recognized or one manager feel more confident, we’re succeeding.
• Investing in Employees: We believe our team’s well-being is integral to our mission. This means fostering an inclusive workplace where innovation thrives and where every employee knows their work contributes to a greater purpose.
• Contributing to Communities: Work-life balance doesn’t stop at the office. By supporting organizations that align with our values, we aim to help communities thrive. We're starting by contributing a portion of our revenue to Stripe's Climate Partnership. Our goal is to increase our contributions over time as the business grows.

In a world where profit often takes center stage, becoming a Benefit Company allows us to legally embed our mission into our business model. It gives us a framework to measure and report on our impact, ensuring that we stay accountable to our goals.

The Power of Business as a Force for Good

Humanaiz isn’t just about delivering cutting-edge HR tools; it’s also about driving meaningful change using the very technology that often removes the humanity from business. We believe that businesses have a responsibility to make the world better. Through Humanaiz, we’re helping organizations nurture their people, reduce workplace inequities, and foster healthier, more effective teams.

Becoming an Oregon Benefit Company is a natural progression for us. It aligns our legal structure with the principles we’ve always lived by: that success isn’t measured solely by financial metrics but by the positive impact we create for our customers, employees, and communities.

As we embark on this journey, we invite you to join us. Whether you’re a human resources pro or manager seeking better tools at a company ready to lead with purpose, let’s work together to make the workplace a more human-centered space. We believe that doing good and doing good business can go hand in hand.