The Triangle startup scene has one fewer female founding CEO, as seasoned entrepreneur Melissa Phillippi has left WorkDove, the company she founded and brought to Durham.
Phillippi recently shared that she's left the human resources software company she spent eight years building, in part to spend more time with her family.
“As Co-Founder and CEO this isn’t easy and there is never a ‘perfect time’ for this transition,” she posted on LinkedIn.
Phillippi told her LinkedIn followers she was moving on in order to “spend more time with my family and pursue other opportunities.”
In a subsequent post, she admitted “some have thought me crazy.”
“Stepping away from the ‘baby you’ve birthed’ … is indeed hard to do, but not when that baby is now in high school and left in excellent hands,” she said about WorkDove.
Phillippi said stepping back would help her “get back to an acceptable balance while still designing and bringing innovative ideas” to the human resources space.
“I can’t wait to share soon one of several ways I’ll accomplish this,” she said.
In her stead, Sean Fitzgerald, previously COO, has taken on the CEO seat.
Fitzgerald said in an email that the company, coming off its highest net revenue retention in two years, was on an upswing, and he was excited to get started. Priority one as he enters the job is listening to customers, he said.
"By listening and addressing their most pressing challenges across the employee experience, it will benefit both current and future customers and further drive capital-efficient growth at WorkDove," he said.
Fitzgerald worked alongside Phillippi for five months to ensure a smooth transition, he said.
He has led companies before. Previously, he was the CEO of Savii, which was acquired by HAS Technology.
WorkDove moved its headquarters from Wilmington to Durham, a step Phillippi called “painful but … necessary” during a panel discussion last year. Being in the Triangle allowed the company to “level up” its talent, she said.
The firm, founded in 2015, describes itself as a “people management software that brings peace to the workplace.” Its clients include Andersen Windows and Doors, Vaco and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.
WorkDove last raised an equity round in 2021, at $4.3 million, according to securities filings.
Its backers include Durham’s Jurassic Capital, led by Joe Colopy, founder of Bronto Software (sold to NetSuite). Colopy said that when Phillippi disclosed that she wanted a break from the startup grind, it gave the team plenty of time to plan the transition.
"The transition has been very smooth, and we're excited about this next chapter for the company," he said. "Melissa will be missed, and we wish her well, personally and professionally."