Following his graduation from Cornell University, Christophe Gerlach dedicated nearly two years to investing solely in HR technology startups for General Atlantic. Although he found the investment world stimulating, Gerlach felt a strong pull to return to entrepreneurship. During his time at Cornell, he had already co-founded and sold a food delivery venture with his classmate Pedro Bobrow, a native of Brazil.

In late 2022, Gerlach and Bobrow—who previously worked as a product manager at Lyft—joined forces once more. Combining their professional experience and cultural backgrounds, they launched Comp, an HR tech startup concentrating on the Brazilian market. The company is developing AI-driven HR software designed to aid with functions such as recruitment, compensation policy formulation, and performance review system design.

Beyond the software, Comp provides "forward-deployed" experts—former HR executives—who collaborate directly with clients to craft strategies for compensation, performance, and recruiting. While Brazilian firms frequently engage compensation consultants, Gerlach emphasizes that Comp’s forward-deployed executives are not mere consultants. Instead, they act as integrated extensions of a company’s existing HR department.

These executives also serve a vital function in enhancing Comp’s technology. "Our forward-deployed HR execs do all the work manually at first, and then they use that work to train the AI how to think in best practices," Gerlach explained. The long-term vision is for Comp’s AI agents to evolve into fully autonomous systems capable of handling conventional HR tasks.

Although Comp currently delivers AI-supported HR services supplemented by human professionals, its ultimate aim is to replace both traditional consultancies and standard HR software. As Gerlach states: "Rippling sells software to junior HR teams to make them more productive. We become the HR team."

Supporting this ambition, Comp has just secured a $17.25 million Series A funding round led by Khosla Ventures. This investment marks the venture firm’s first in a Brazilian company. As part of the deal, Khosla general partner Keith Rabois has joined Comp’s board of directors.

The startup positions itself as an AI-powered alternative to established compensation consultancies like Mercer, Korn Ferry, and Willis Towers Watson. It also enters the competitive landscape alongside global HR platforms such as Rippling and Workday.

Gerlach notes that Comp chose to launch in Brazil because many local companies lack traditional HR software infrastructure. This gap has allowed the startup to introduce a novel, automated model without initially confronting entrenched competitors. The approach appears to be gaining momentum, with a client roster that includes Nubank, QuintoAndar, Creditas, and, according to Gerlach, "pretty much every unicorn in Brazil."

With this foundation, Comp is now looking toward expansion into the United States and other international markets. The Series A round also included participation from existing investors Kaszek and Canary, alongside new backers Abstract Ventures and Endeavor Catalyst.