Checkr vs Deel: Founders, CEOs and History
Checkr was founded in 2014 by Daniel Yanisse, Jonathan Perichon and is led by Daniel Yanisse. Deel was founded in 2019 by Alex Bouaziz, Shuo Wang and is led by Alex Bouaziz.
Company facts
Founders
Checkr
Daniel Yanisse
Daniel Yanisse is the co-founder and CEO of Checkr. He started the company in 2014 with Jonathan Perichon after seeing at Deliv how long legacy background checks took.
Jonathan Perichon
Jonathan Perichon co-founded Checkr in 2014 and served as its chief technology officer in the early years, building the original background check API and record-retrieval systems that won the company its first on-demand customers.
Deel
Alex Bouaziz
Alex Bouaziz is Deel's co-founder and CEO. He started Deel in 2019 with Shuo Wang after experiencing first-hand how hard it was to hire and pay people across borders, took it through Y Combinator, and has led it from contractor payments to a full global HR and…
Shuo Wang
Shuo Wang is Deel's co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer. She leads Deel's go-to-market organization and has overseen its sales growth from early contractor-payment customers to more than 40,000 businesses worldwide.
CEOs and their tenures
Checkr
- Daniel Yanisse2014–present
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Has led Checkr since founding, from gig-economy screening API to a four-product verification platform with $800M+ gross revenue in 2025.
Source - Jonathan Perichon2014–present
Co-Founder & former CTO
Built Checkr's original API and record-retrieval architecture.
Source - Tim Yarbrough2026–present
Chief Financial Officer
Joined in March 2026 from ZipRecruiter, where he was CFO; succeeded Naeem Ishaq.
Source
Deel
- Alex Bouaziz2019–present
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Co-founded Deel in 2019 and has led it from a YC contractor-payments startup to $1.5B+ ARR and a $17.3B valuation.
Source - Shuo Wang2019–present
Co-Founder & Chief Revenue Officer
Built and leads Deel's sales and revenue organization.
Source - Philippe Bouaziz2019–present
Executive Chairman & Chief Strategy Officer
Founding CFO who moved to executive chairman and chief strategy officer in November 2025; named as a defendant in Rippling's lawsuit.
Source - Joe Kauffman2025–present
Chief Financial Officer
Former Intuit executive appointed CFO in November 2025 as Deel prepares for a potential IPO.
Source
Timeline: Checkr and Deel side by side
2014Checkr
Checkr founded
Daniel Yanisse and Jonathan Perichon founded Checkr in San Francisco and joined Y Combinator.
2019Checkr
$160M Series D at $2.2B
Round led by T. Rowe Price with Bond, Coatue, Accel, Y Combinator and IVP.
2019Deel
Deel founded; joins Y Combinator W19
Alex Bouaziz and Shuo Wang launch Deel for compliant international contractor payments.
2020Deel
Series A and B
$14M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz (May) and $30M Series B led by Spark Capital (September) as remote hiring took off.
2021Checkr
$250M Series E at $4.6B
Led by Durable Capital with Fidelity and Franklin Templeton.
2021Deel
$1.25B Series C, then $5.5B Series D
$156M Series C in April; $425M Series D led by Coatue in October.
2022Checkr
Acquires GoodHire
Bought Inflection, parent of GoodHire, for about $400 million.
2022Deel
$12B valuation; Legalpad acquired; $295M ARR
Series D extension in May; ARR reached $295M by year-end.
2023Deel
PayGroup completed; free Deel HR
Closed the PayGroup acquisition and launched a free global HRIS.
2024Checkr
Lays off 32% of staff
Cut 382 jobs in April; revenue still surpassed $700 million for the year.
2024Deel
Hofy and Zavvy; $800M ARR
Launched Deel IT after buying Hofy; reached $800M run rate in December.
2025Checkr
Acquires Truework; $800M+ gross revenue
Added income verification and reported $500M+ net revenue with consistent profitability.
2025Deel
Rippling lawsuit; $1B ARR; $17.3B Series E
Rippling sued in March; Safeguard Global payroll deal in March; $1B ARR in June; $300M Series E in October; Joe Kauffman named CFO in November.
2026Checkr
New CFO Tim Yarbrough
Former ZipRecruiter CFO joined in March 2026.
2026Deel
DOJ probe reported; $1.5B ARR; Clarity acquired
WSJ reported a DOJ criminal probe in January; Deel passed $1.5B ARR in H1 and bought Clarity in August.
Acquisitions
Deel
- Clarity2026Undisclosed
- Safeguard Global (enterprise payroll division)2025Undisclosed
- Hofy2024Undisclosed
- PayGroup2023Undisclosed
- Legalpad2022Undisclosed
- Zeitgold2021Undisclosed
Questions about Checkr vs Deel
Who is the CEO of Checkr, Inc. and Deel, Inc.?
Checkr, Inc. is led by Daniel Yanisse and Deel, Inc. is led by Alex Bouaziz. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Checkr, Inc. founded vs Deel, Inc.?
Checkr, Inc. was founded in 2014 — 5 years before Deel, Inc., which was founded in 2019. Checkr, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Deel, Inc..
How many employees does Checkr, Inc. have compared to Deel, Inc.?
Checkr, Inc. employs approximately 1,000 people, while Deel, Inc. employs approximately 9,600. Deel, Inc. has the larger workforce at 9,600 employees, compared to Checkr, Inc.'s 1,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Checkr, Inc. and Deel, Inc. headquartered?
Both Checkr, Inc. and Deel, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Checkr, Inc. and Deel, Inc.?
Checkr, Inc. was founded by Daniel Yanisse, Jonathan Perichon. Deel, Inc. was founded by Alex Bouaziz, Shuo Wang.
Which company has a longer operating history — Checkr, Inc. or Deel, Inc.?
Checkr, Inc. has been operating for approximately 12 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Deel, Inc. has been in operation for around 7 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Checkr vs Deel overview