Welcome to Transform’s Founder Spotlight Series, an exciting journey into the minds of innovative leaders who are disrupting the now and next of work.
In each Q&A-style article, we’ll introduce you to founders like Jeet Mukerji, CEO & Co-Founder of Kinfolk, who are redefining the boundaries of their industries with forward-thinking ideas and transformative approaches.
About Jeet Mukerji & Kinfolk
Jeet Mukerji is the CEO and Co-Founder of Kinfolk, the People Enablement Platform. Kinfolk helps organizations craft seamless employee journeys that boost productivity and engagement—using AI agents and automation to scale the People team. Before Kinfolk, Jeet was the founding product lead of Beamery’s AI division. His career spans roles in the music industry at Universal Music, media planning at Mindshare WPP, and strategy consulting for multinational corporations. Jeet lives in London, UK, with his wife and enjoys exploring the intersection of technology and human connection.
“We don’t wait for problems to escalate.
We proactively ask for input and make changes fast.”
Startup Journey
Transform: What gave you the idea of starting Kinfolk?
Jeet Mukerji: We wanted to help people do their best work—without getting bogged down by admin.
As managers, we thrived when our teams thrived, but internal processes constantly slowed things down. Employees wasted time searching for answers, and HR teams spent 40% of their week on repetitive admin instead of strategic work.
Despite having good documentation, employees still spend up to 1.8 hours a day searching for information. When they can’t find what they need, they’re told to submit a ticket—only to wait even longer.
Meanwhile, HR teams are stuck answering the same questions over and over. Something had to change. With AI, we saw a way to give employees instant, 24/7 support without overloading HR. Plus, by automating repetitive requests, HR teams can focus on what really matters: building a better workplace.
Product Development
Transform: Who benefits from Kinfolk?
Jeet Mukerji: Organizations with 500+ employees—where HR support is critical but often overloaded. Employees get instant answers in Slack, Teams, or SMS—no searching, no waiting. HR teams free up time by automating repetitive requests so they can focus on strategic work. HR leaders gain real insights into what employees actually need—plus the bandwidth to act on it. Faster support, less admin, and a better employee experience.
Transform: Why is this so important?
Jeet Mukerji: When employees get instant answers, they spend less time searching and more time doing great work. When HR isn’t drowning in admin, it can focus on building a better workplace instead of just maintaining one. Employees stay productive—no more wasted hours hunting for info. HR operates strategically, focusing on culture, retention, and growth instead of low-value admin.
Transform: What are some examples of companies leveraging Kinfolk?
Jeet Mukerji: SuperGroup (NYSE:SGHC), Vidyard, Orange Barrel Media
“Transparency at every level—we document processes, goals,
decisions, and the rationale behind them, so everyone stays aligned.”
Scaling and Growth
Transform: How do you build a strong company culture while scaling the business?
Jeet Mukerji: It takes intentional, consistent effort. Here’s what we focus on:
- Transparency at every level – We document processes, goals, decisions, and the rationale behind them, so everyone stays aligned.
- Autonomy, especially in remote work – Clear expectations + trust = high performance without micromanagement.
- Founders stay hands-on with hiring – We personally interview every new hire and will continue until it’s no longer feasible.
- Feedback isn’t just collected—it’s acted on – We don’t wait for problems to escalate. We proactively ask for input and make changes fast.
Fundraising
Transform: How do you maintain strong relationships with your investors and optimize their contributions?
Jeet Mukerji: Be open and transparent on progress and challenges. Ask for help (Investors bring expertise and networks. We actively leverage their insights instead of treating updates as a formality). Meet every month, connect every week, so both sides are engaged. Plus, we look for ways to add value to their portfolio, whether it’s making intros, sharing learnings, or connecting them with a potential Venture Partner.
Team Building & Leadership
Transform: What are your strategies for attracting and retaining talent at Kinfolk?
Jeet Mukerji: There are no ‘strategies’ as such. We just stick to our promises and are open about Kinfolk. Given our size, we have the opportunity to just be ourselves, engage meaningfully, and move fast. As with employees, we’re transparent with candidates. We listen to what they need to do their best work and do our best to give it to them in line with business goals and values.
“Autonomy, especially in remote work—clear expectations +
trust = high performance without micromanagement.”
Marketing & Branding
Transform: How do you differentiate your brand from competitors?
Jeet Mukerji: A lot of AI tools focus purely on automation—reducing workload, cutting costs, streamlining processes. That’s important, but it’s not the full picture.
HR isn’t just about ticking boxes, it’s about people. Kinfolk is built on the idea that when you remove the admin burden, you create space for real impact—better conversations, stronger relationships, more time for what actually matters.
That’s why we chose the name Kinfolk, as work should feel connected, not transactional. We’re not just building AI to answer questions. We’re building AI to give people back their time so they can focus on the work that makes a difference.
Challenges & Lessons Learned
Transform: Can you share any specific lessons or mistakes you made during the startup journey at Kinfolk and how you overcame them?
Jeet Mukerji: We underestimated how little time HR teams in smaller orgs have to implement new tools. They’re constantly firefighting, making it hard to prioritize anything that isn’t an HRIS or payroll. We assumed they’d have the bandwidth for setup, but the reality is they need something that just works. So we rethought everything, leveraging AI to make implementation effortless.
Industry and Market Insights
Transform: What is one significant trend or prediction that you believe will drive the transformation of work?
Jeet Mukerji: AI agents will fundamentally change how work gets done, not just by automating tasks but also by shifting how people interact with information, processes, and each other. Instead of searching for answers, submitting tickets, or waiting on approvals, employees will ask and act in real-time—right where they work. We won’t be navigating different systems anymore, and it will change the shape and capability requirements of HR teams.
“It takes intentional, consistent effort to build a
strong company culture while scaling a business.”
Company Vision
Transform: What would you like to say to People leaders who are thinking of using Kinfolk?
Jeet Mukerji: Two things. First, just start. AI isn’t a distant future—it’s already reshaping how HR operates. The teams that start experimenting now will be ahead of the curve. You don’t need a massive rollout—just try it and see the impact.
Second, think about the time you could get back. If employees got instant answers and HR teams freed up even one or two days a week, what could you focus on instead? That’s the real opportunity.
Hear Jeet at Transform 2025, “HR’s AI Moment: Scaling Impact and Employee Productivity Without Losing the Human Touch!”
