Humanly co-founder and CEO Prem Kumar responded to pandemic disruption by repositioning the company around remote hiring, then worked more closely with customers as enterprise spending tightened. Personally, after GeekWire reported he had gone 2½ years without taking more than a day off, he took a month-long break in April 2022, worked with a therapist and reshaped his routine around family time, exercise and meditation.
How Humanly adjusted its business as conditions changed
Humanly launched in August 2018. GeekWire reported that it graduated from Y Combinator in 2019 and closed its first funding round in February 2020. The pandemic threatened the business, but it also prompted a change in how Kumar positioned the company: Humanly focused its pitch on remote onboarding and hiring solutions.
The operating environment shifted again in 2022. As large technology companies froze hiring and enterprise-software spending contracted, Humanly leaned into close customer relationships rather than relying only on broad demand. The GeekWire profile described customer Armoire receiving “white glove” service while using Humanly’s technology during the slowdown.
At the time of the profile, GeekWire described Humanly as an AI-powered employee interviewing and onboarding startup. It said the product helped large companies screen candidates, schedule interviews, automate initial communications and conduct reference checks. The profile also said the technology could conceal details such as a candidate’s name, gender and years of experience, and use natural language processing to analyze how a company interacted with candidates. These are descriptions of the product as reported in 2023, not confirmation of current features or availability.
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What the 2023 profile reported about Humanly
GeekWire’s April 13, 2023 profile reported several company figures as of that time. They are historical claims from the article, not current or independently audited metrics.
| Measure | What GeekWire reported |
|---|---|
| Additional funding | $4.2 million raised in September 2021. |
| Net revenue retention | 149% over the 12 months preceding the profile. |
| Candidate activity | More than one million screening conversations and interviews. |
| Employee departures | One voluntary departure in the three years after launch. |
| Team diversity goal | A minimum of 50% gender and BIPOC diversity on the team. |
The profile named Microsoft, the Seattle Storm and Moss Adams among Humanly’s customers at the time. It does not establish whether those relationships continued after publication.
Why Kumar took a break
According to GeekWire, Kumar went 2½ years without taking more than a day off. The article said the pace affected his mental and physical health and his time with family; it did not present this as a clinical diagnosis. The strain also reflected the responsibilities of leading a company with employees. Humanly investor and advisor Oleg Kaganovich described how founder pressure changes as a startup grows: “Being a founder is stressful when it’s just you and a few friends hacking together an MVP,” he said. “That stress grows exponentially once you have a team, and are responsible for their capacity to pay their mortgages and feed their families.”
In April 2022, Kumar prepared his team for his absence and took a month-long break. He worked with a therapist during that period. Reflecting on what he addressed, he told GeekWire: “I did have stuff that I needed to address and figure out, which ultimately helped me be better at home, a better husband, a better dad, and better CEO.”
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What changed after Kumar returned
Kumar added family meals, exercise and meditation to his schedule and introduced employee wellbeing policies. The point was not to present a universal founder routine: his account was about changes he made after recognizing that his pace was affecting his health and home life.
Armoire CEO Ambika Singh, a Humanly customer, connected the leader’s behavior to workplace culture: “Bringing your whole self to work starts with the CEO.” She also challenged the idea that leaders should maintain an unbreakable front: “That’s not the reality of any human,” she said. “I think that mentality just means that you’re not able to be your full self because you’re spending so much time creating this unbreakable shield.”
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Kumar described his response to adversity as a combination of self-care and purposeful adaptation: “Let’s take care of ourselves when adversity hits,” he said, adding, “But then how do we turn this into a win for us at the end of the day?” He also said, “Growth is sometimes uncomfortable,” while emphasizing that it “certainly takes proactiveness and awareness.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this founder story can—and cannot—show
Kumar’s experience illustrates two distinct adaptations: Humanly changed its business focus as customer needs and spending conditions shifted, while Kumar changed his own schedule and sought support after a prolonged period without meaningful time off. The profile presents one CEO’s account, not a controlled study or a guarantee that therapy, meditation, a particular schedule or any single workplace policy will suit every founder.
GeekWire published the profile on April 13, 2023, when Kumar was a finalist for Startup CEO of the Year. Its reference to the 2023 GeekWire Awards, then scheduled for May 18 in Seattle, is historical event context.
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