Investing in Orbio | Giving HR Back Its Human Side
The Future of Work Starts with HR
I still remember the first time I met Nacho. It was years ago, when he was building Cobee, a company that went on to become one of Spain’s standout HR tech success stories and one of the top SaaS exits in Iberia since 2020.
Later, when Sergi, whom Enrique had met through Endeavor and followed closely since his journey at Colvin, joined forces with Nacho to start Orbio, we knew something special was happening.
From the very beginning, we had the opportunity to work alongside them, supporting their research, testing assumptions, and helping validate the problem space that would become the foundation of Orbio. When Antonio Melé came in as CTO, bringing technical depth and product vision, the picture was complete. A team we knew well, trusted deeply, and believed could build something transformative.
This relationship and conviction came before the data, but the data confirmed it.
Generative AI has become the fastest-growing segment in technology. In the first half of 2025 alone, global venture investment in GenAI reached 49.2 billion dollars .1 The headlines focus on foundation models and infrastructure, yet history shows that the greatest value is often created one layer above, at the application level.23
On the internet, it was Amazon and Google, not the telecom operators, that captured most of the value. In the cloud, it was Salesforce and Shopify, not the server manufacturers. In mobile, it was Apple, not the network providers.
We believe the same will be true for AI. The real winners will be AI-native applications built from the ground up to deliver intelligence and automation where it solves real, high-frequency problems
That conviction, both in the team and in the opportunity, is what led us to invest in Orbio, an AI-native platform designed to partner with HR teams. Orbio uses autonomous, conversational agents to handle the repetitive work that slows organizations down, giving HR the time and data to focus on what truly matters: people, culture, and impact.4
Why HR?
HR is one of the most universal functions inside companies and at the same time one of the most broken.
The Administrative Load: More than 60 percent of HR time is spent on administration: scheduling, chasing documents, and ensuring compliance5.
The Data Problem: Valuable information is lost across emails, chats, and disconnected tools.
The Resource Gap: Teams are under-resourced and unable to focus on people, culture, and organizational impact.
Research shows that the highest return from AI adoption comes from back-office automation . Yet most enterprise budgets are still concentrated in sales and marketing. No area demonstrates this misalignment more clearly than HR. 6
Orbio: An AI-Native System for HR
Orbio is not another HR software tool. It is built as an AI-native system designed to partner with HR teams and address the root problems that hold them back: administrative overload, fragmented data, and lack of strategic focus. By combining automation, intelligence, and new possibilities, Orbio is redefining what HR can be.
Automation of Admin
HR teams today spend the majority of their time on administrative tasks. Scheduling interviews, processing onboarding documents, and chasing signatures are all necessary but none are truly impactful. This overload leaves HR professionals with little time for the work that matters: listening, coaching, shaping culture, and driving change.
Orbio addresses this challenge head-on. Its platform integrates autonomous, conversational agents that operate continuously to manage repetitive workflows, particularly in enterprise environments with high hiring volumes and frequent staff rotation. From interview scheduling to document collection, Orbio streamlines processes and removes the administrative burden from HR teams.
Intelligence and Data
For decades HR has struggled with fragmented systems. Information is dispersed across applicant-tracking tools, spreadsheets, and informal channels. Valuable insights are lost, and decisions are made with limited visibility.
Orbio changes this dynamic. Every candidate interaction, every onboarding step, and every feedback loop is captured and structured. HR leaders gain real-time insights and actionable intelligence instead of another dashboard that rarely drives action. Better data means better decisions, linking recruitment, turnover, performance and elevating HR from an administrative function to a strategic partner.
Unlocking New Possibilities
When repetitive work is automated and intelligence flows seamlessly, HR can reinvent itself.
Hiring: Candidates are engaged within minutes of applying rather than waiting weeks.
Onboarding: Compliance and documentation are completed in minutes rather than days.
Retention: Exit interviews are analyzed at scale, revealing why employees leave.
Development: Training becomes personalized and dynamic rather than limited to once-a-year programs.
This is the shift from “people admin” to “people plus AI strategist.” AI does not sideline HR. It empowers HR.
The Impact
Since launching in June 2025, Orbio has already:
Managed more than 60,000 interviews for employers including AT&T Retail, Verisure, Ribera Salud, Vicio, and Honest Greens
Delivered 80 percent faster time-to-hire
Reduced cost per hire by up to 85 percent
Cut early turnover by 20 percent
Achieved 95 percent candidate satisfaction
Orbio now operates across five countries, managing processes for over one million candidates and 180,000 employees, with clients spanning healthcare, retail, hospitality, and logistics.7
Why We Invested?
At Plus Partners, one of our core areas of focus is the Future of Work and Productivity. We back founders who use AI to transform how people work, collaborate, and grow across functions and industries. Among these, HR stands out as one of the areas with the greatest potential for technology to unlock productivity and create opportunity for both professionals and candidates.
We invested in Orbio because:
The problem is massive. HR teams are overwhelmed by administrative work and operate without the right data.
The ROI is clear. Orbio reduces costs, accelerates hiring, and improves satisfaction at scale.
The market is global. Every industry hires, onboards, and develops people, making HR a transversal opportunity.
The demand is undeniable. Companies are reaching out to Orbio organically, driven by the urgency to automate and the measurable impact the platform delivers.
The timing is right. AI adoption is accelerating, and the strongest returns are already emerging in back-office automation.
The founders are proven. This is where our conviction truly deepens.
We have known the founders for years and witnessed their evolution up close. Sergi brings the experience of building and scaling Colvin, combining entrepreneurial drive with a long-term vision for impact. Nacho adds his track record as co-founder of Cobee, one of Spain’s most successful HR tech scale-ups and a top SaaS exit in Iberia. Completing the team, Antonio contributes the technical depth and product vision required to take Orbio global.
Together, Nacho, Sergi, and Antonio represent exactly the type of founders we back — ambitious, experienced, and deeply committed to solving one of the most important challenges in the Future of Work.
Closing
Will everyone soon be hired by an AI agent while HR disappears? The answer is no.
The future of HR is not about replacing people. It is about removing the friction that prevents HR from being human. Orbio does not replace HR teams — it gives them back the time and data to focus on strategy, culture, and impact.
This is why we invested. Because the Future of Work and Productivity is not about replacing humans with technology, but about empowering them through it.
👉 Learn more: orbio.work
Actively supporting your vision.
EY. (2025, June 26). Generative AI VC funding surges to $49.2B in H1 2025. EY. https://www.ey.com/en_ie/newsroom/2025/06/generative-ai-vc-funding-49-2b-h1-2025-ey-report
McKinsey & Company. (2025). The state of AI: How organizations are rewiring to capture value. McKinsey Global Institute. https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/business%20functions/quantumblack/our%20insights/the%20state%20of%20ai/2025/the-state-of-ai-how-organizations-are-rewiring-to-capture-value_final.pdf
StartUs Insights. (2025). Generative AI report 2025: Key stats & innovations. StartUs Insights. https://www.startus-insights.com/innovators-guide/generative-ai-report-key-stats/
Plus Partners. (2025). Internal investment research and portfolio analysis [Internal materials].
AI Multiple. (2024, November 7). Back-office automation: Benefits, examples, and market overview. AI Multiple. https://research.aimultiple.com/back-office-automation/
NetSuite. (n.d.). ROI of HR software: How automation drives efficiency in human resources. Oracle NetSuite. https://www.netsuite.com/portal/resource/articles/human-resources/roi-of-hr-software.shtml
Orbio. (2025). Internal company data on product performance and customer metrics [Internal materials].