Houston benefits platform Empyrean acquires Austin tech startup Enspire

A local benefits administration company is expanding employee communication offerings with the acquisition of an Austin-based tech startup.

Houston-based Empyrean has acquired Enspire, which will launch a new software called +You on Empyrean’s platform to combine the companies' technology. Enspire, a private employee communication and engagement platform, will continue to offer its existing services as a standalone product as well.

Empyrean produces a benefits administration platform that uses artificial intelligence to offer employees personalized recommendations based on individual health data. In addition to its platform, Enspire also offers teams of consultants for employers as well as mobile app for employees.

Empyrean said the combined technologies would help simplify employee experiences and add more data analytics for employers.

“The combined value of Empyrean and Enspire sets a new standard for the way organizations support and communicate benefits and other HR initiatives with their people,” Empyrean CEO Rich Wolfe said in a Feb. 20 announcement, which did not disclose the value of the deal.

After being named to the Houston Business Journal’s Fast 100 in 2018, Empyrean itself was acquired by Minnesota-based insurance and investment solutions company Securian Financial in late 2019. At the time, the company had over 700 employees in Houston, Nashville and Minneapolis.

The Enspire acquisition is another recent move in the local human resources and benefits platform industry, following Houston-based GoCo.io's acquisition of Canada-based WFHomie earlier this month.

Other recent tech acquisitions taking place in February in Houston include Japanese company Yokogawa Electric acquiring local analytics startup Fluence Analytics and Boston-based consulting firm Bain & Co. buying local digital studio Umbrage.