About Workrise
Workrise was founded in 2014 by Xuan Yong and Aaron Ross under the earlier name RigUp, based on the observation that the energy industry, particularly oil and gas operations, relies heavily on a large, often geographically dispersed contingent workforce of skilled tradespeople and field service workers, such as welders, equipment operators, and various other specialized trades needed for oil and gas drilling and production operations, but that hiring, scheduling, and managing compliance for this large, specialized contingent workforce had historically relied on fragmented, manual processes involving personal networks, phone calls, and paper-based compliance documentation rather than more modern, technology-enabled workforce management tools.
Workrise's platform provides technology that helps energy companies more efficiently source, hire, and manage their contingent skilled trades workforce, including tools for identifying and vetting qualified workers with the specific certifications and experience needed for particular energy industry field roles, managing the scheduling and deployment of contingent workers across various field locations and projects, and handling the substantial compliance documentation and tracking requirements relevant to safety certifications and other regulatory requirements common in the energy industry's often hazardous field work environments. The company rebranded from RigUp to Workrise, reflecting an expansion beyond its original oil and gas industry focus into broader industrial and energy-adjacent sectors with similar skilled trades contingent workforce management needs, including renewable energy projects and other industrial sectors that share similar characteristics of relying on large numbers of specialized, often project-based contingent skilled tradespeople requiring careful compliance and safety certification tracking. Workrise has positioned its technology as addressing a significant operational efficiency and compliance risk management need for energy and industrial companies managing large, often geographically dispersed contingent skilled trades workforces, an important consideration given both the operational complexity of coordinating this kind of workforce and the safety and regulatory compliance stakes involved in ensuring field workers have appropriate certifications and training for often hazardous energy industry field work. The company's customers span oil and gas companies, renewable energy developers, and other industrial companies with significant contingent skilled trades workforce needs. Workrise has raised very substantial venture funding from investors including Bedrock Capital, Founders Fund, and Baillie Gifford.
