Howdy.com
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Technology staffing |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Founder | Jacqueline Samira, Frank Licea |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas , United States |
Area served | United States, Latin America |
| Products | Talent acquisition, payroll administration, benefits management, equipment provisioning, compliance oversight |
| Website | howdy |
Howdy.com is a technology staffing firm headquartered in Austin, Texas, United States. Established in 2018 by Jacqueline Samira and Frank Licea, the company focuses on nearshoring by linking software engineers from Latin America with U.S. enterprises for full-time remote positions aligned with overlapping time zones. Howdy.com provides a comprehensive suite of services including talent acquisition, payroll administration, benefits management, equipment provisioning, and compliance oversight for its clients’ hires. In 2023, the company enhanced its footprint in Latin America through the acquisition of GeekHunter, a Brazilian technology recruitment platform. Howdy.com was part of Y Combinator’s Winter 2021 startup accelerator cohort and earned recognition on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in both 2023 and 2024. Additionally, it was listed among Forbes’s "America's Best Startup Employers" in 2024.
History
Originally launched as Austin Software in 2018 by founders Jacqueline Samira and Frank Licea, the enterprise aimed to mitigate the shortage of tech talent in the U.S. by sourcing engineers from Latin American countries such as Colombia, Chile, and Mexico. The company was selected to participate in Y Combinator’s Winter 2021 accelerator program.
After operating under the name Astro during its stealth phase, it rebranded to Howdy.com in August 2022 to better represent its organizational culture and broadened objectives. The firm completed its Series A financing round in 2022 and followed with an extension in 2023 to fuel expansion efforts. In August 2023, Howdy further solidified its presence in Latin America by acquiring GeekHunter, which boasts close to 400,000 registered users.
The company secured a spot on the Inc. 5000 list for rapid private company growth in both 2023 and 2024, was highlighted as one of Forbes' "America's Best Startup Employers" in 2024, and ranked among Central Texas’ fastest-growing private enterprises according to the Austin Business Journal in 2023.
Services
Howdy specializes in nearshoring by sourcing and thoroughly vetting software developers from Latin America and pairing them with U.S.-based organizations. Beyond recruitment services, Howdy manages payroll processing, employee benefits, equipment supply, and regulatory compliance for its clients’ remote hires. These developers remain located in their home countries while receiving support through Howdy’s regional offices and coworking facilities distributed throughout Latin America.
Funding
By 2023, Howdy had accumulated a total capital raise of $21 million.
- Series A (August 2022): The initial Series A funding round brought in $13 million.
- Series A Extension: An additional $5 million was raised through an extension led by Obvious Ventures with participation from Greycroft, placing the company’s valuation at $105 million.
References