HR software provider Ciphr has made a strategic investment in MyTeamBuilder, a UK-based platform delivering artificial intelligence-powered coaching for businesses. The move brings new AI coaching tools into Ciphr's HR technology portfolio, offering customers enhanced opportunities for employee development and data-driven team management.
Investment details
Ciphr has acquired a stake in MyTeamBuilder as part of ongoing efforts to boost its offerings to HR professionals. The company currently supports more than 1,400 organisations globally with a suite of HR, payroll, benefits, and recruitment solutions. MyTeamBuilder's AI-driven coaching product will now be available to Ciphr customers, expanding the range of services they can access.
The investment follows a series of deals over recent years for Ciphr, which is backed by private equity firm ECI. As part of the agreement, Ciphr's Chief Executive Officer Sion Lewis and Chief Financial Officer Ray Berry have joined MyTeamBuilder's board.
AI coaching technology
Founded in 2023 by organisational psychologist Bill McAneny, MyTeamBuilder uses artificial intelligence combined with psychological frameworks to deliver personalised coaching experiences for employees and managers. The aim is to support team cohesion, improve engagement, and enhance retention by providing insights into individual personalities, motivations and strengths.
The subscription-based tool offers round-the-clock data-driven coaching, with resources and recommendations tailored to individual users. All insights and reminders are confidential, helping employees progress with their personal and professional goals. Managers using the system receive additional analytics, including real-time advice on how to work with different personality types within their teams.
Machine learning underpins the service, with the platform improving its recommendations as more users engage with its features. Managers are able to access guidance on team interactions, decision-making for task allocation, feedback delivery, and anticipating or addressing workplace conflicts.
Real-time HR insights
MyTeamBuilder includes live mood tracking and trending topic analysis, providing HR teams with an anonymised, real-time overview of organisational sentiment. Weekly organisational reports summarise mood shifts, use of coaching features, and levels of engagement, offering HR leaders a current snapshot of the workforce without relying on traditional surveys.
Learning and development
Ciphr's recent survey found that HR leaders are focused on regular training and upskilling, but recognise the challenges of meeting varied employee needs while controlling costs. Adding MyTeamBuilder's AI coaching into the learning and development offering is designed to make consistent, personalised training more accessible without additional resource requirements.
"AI - done well - is an enabler. It can help surface invaluable workforce insights that can inform data-driven decision-making and, importantly, help organisations find better ways of working together. And that's at the heart of everything we do at Ciphr - empowering organisations and their people with the tools they need to grow and succeed.
"We all have unique personalities and strengths that we bring to a role. The most successful organisations recognise the importance of leveraging that value - and playing to those strengths. MyTeamBuilder is a fantastic tool. It helps managers to better support their people, drive collaboration, and help them to do their best work.
"This is an exciting investment for Ciphr, and we're looking forward to working with Bill and his team to bring the benefits of their innovative AI-coaching solution to even more organisations," said Sion Lewis, Chief Executive Officer, Ciphr.
"With MyTeamBuilder, we think we have developed something truly groundbreaking. Traditional coaching can be episodic and cost prohibitive. But our AI tool is always there. It's a coach for everyone, that can help people develop in their role and work better together. It helps organisations bring out the best in their people.
"Ciphr is the perfect partner to take this out into the market and the right organisation to help MyTeamBuilder to grow. We're really excited about this opportunity to help organisations change how their employees, managers and teams are supported in the workplace," said Bill McAneny, Founder, MyTeamBuilder.
