Included, a $7.3M people-analytics startup, was folded into Phenom and lost its brand

Included builds people-analytics software that started with diversity data and expanded to retention, engagement, hiring speed and performance reviews.

People analytics gets more valuable inside a bigger applied-AI HR platform than as a standalone product, so Included gave up its brand to join Phenom.

$7.3 million from investors including FlyingFish, SignalFire, Ascend, Trilogy Equity Partners and Alumni Ventures

Included launched about five years before the deal, as companies across the US moved in 2020-21 to support racial and ethnic diversity in their operations. The three co-founders were CEO Raghu Gollamudi, who had co-founded Integris Software (sold to OneTrust in 2020), chief product officer Chandan Golla and Laura Close.

Over time the product moved beyond DEI analytics into employee retention, engagement, hiring timelines and performance evaluations. LinkedIn data showed fewer than 15 employees at the time of the sale.

Phenom, a Pennsylvania-based HR company, announced the acquisition on 2026-01-14; terms were not disclosed. A Phenom spokesperson said a majority of Included staff became Phenom employees, that Included will not continue as a standalone brand, and that investors are pleased. Gollamudi said it would bring native and agentic AI to people analytics inside Phenom's Applied AI platform.

Included was small, with fewer than 15 staff, and its early DEI analytics focus had widened into a general people-analytics product.

Its CEO argued that dashboards are being replaced by AI that acts inside the workflow, which a bigger applied-AI platform could supply.

Phenom has a record of integrating acquisitions natively into its platform, so Included customers would be served within one product.

Investors were described as pleased, though the price was not disclosed.

A small analytics startup that widens its product can still end as a feature inside a bigger platform; the buyer, not the founder, decides whether the brand survives.

As of 2026-01-15 Included is being absorbed into Phenom's Applied AI platform and will not continue as a standalone brand. Most employees have become Phenom employees. Close, one of the co-founders, is now CEO of the coaching firm Close Cohen. Deal terms were not disclosed.