After graduating from Cornell University, Christophe Gerlach spent nearly two years investing exclusively in HR tech startups for General Atlantic. Investing was exciting, but Gerlach was yearning to get back into entrepreneurship.
While at Cornell, Gerlach (pictured above, right) built and sold a food delivery startup alongside classmate Pedro Bobrow (pictured above, left), a Brazilian native. Then in late 2022, Gerlach and Bobrow (previously a product manager at Lyft) teamed up again, merging their sector expertise and cultural roots to launch Comp, an HR tech startup focused on Brazil.
Comp is building AI-powered HR software that can assist with tasks like recruiting, setting compensation policies and designing performance review systems. The startup also provides “forward-deployed” experts — former HR executives — who work with customers to design strategies for compensation, performance, and recruiting.
While companies in Brazil often hire compensation consultants, Gerlach says its forward-deployed HR executives shouldn’t be viewed as consultants, but rather as extensions of existing HR teams.
These executives also play a critical role in refining 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 said.
The idea, of course, is that over time, Comp’s AI agents will become fully autonomous and capable of performing traditional HR functions.
While Comp currently offers AI-supported HR services augmented by professionals, its goal is to displace both traditional consultancies and HR software. As Gerlach puts it: “Rippling sells software to junior HR teams to make them more productive. We become the HR team.”
Techcrunch event Save up to $300 or 30% to TechCrunch Founder Summit 1,000+ founders and investors come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediately.
Offer ends March 13. Save up to $300 or 30% to TechCrunch Founder Summit 1,000+ founders and investors come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediately
... continue reading