Berlin based fintech company Integral has announced the acquisition of German payroll and HR provider cleverlohn alongside the close of a new equity funding round. The dual milestone strengthens Integral’s position as an AI powered services firm focused on accounting, taxation, and payroll for small and medium sized enterprises. The company aims to simplify financial operations for SMEs in Europe, starting with its home market in Germany.
Company and Transaction Overview
Integral provides technology enabled services that combine AI tools with human specialists to deliver compliant and streamlined bookkeeping, tax, and payroll support. The acquisition of cleverlohn adds a dedicated digital payroll and HR platform that is already embedded in the German market. In parallel, Integral has raised additional capital from General Catalyst, Cherry Ventures and Puzzle Ventures, bringing its total funding to €12 million.
Strategic Rationale of the Acquisition
By bringing cleverlohn into the group, Integral is expanding the breadth of its offering from core accounting and tax into a more comprehensive financial operations stack. The goal is to build a leading AI first advisory firm for SMEs that covers accounting, tax, and payroll as a unified service. With cleverlohn’s expertise in HR and payroll, the combined business can address more of the operational pain points faced by growing companies.
Role of cleverlohn within Integral
cleverlohn has built a reputation for supporting businesses with digital tools that manage payroll processes and HR workflows in line with Germany’s complex labor and tax rules. Under Integral’s ownership, cleverlohn will continue to operate as an independent brand while benefiting from shared technology and infrastructure. This structure is intended to preserve cleverlohn’s specialist focus while enhancing its capabilities through Integral’s AI platform.
Leadership Perspectives
Integral was founded in 2024 by Co founder and CEO Lukas Zörner and Co founder Anil Can Baykal with a vision to modernize SME financial operations. Zörner described the acquisition as a major step toward transforming how smaller businesses handle accounting, payroll, and tax, highlighting the complementary strengths of cleverlohn’s team. cleverlohn Co founder and Managing Director Darleen Warda emphasized that the partnership will allow both companies to deepen product development and reinforce service quality for customers.
Market Context and SME Challenges
SMEs in Germany face rising compliance requirements, aging software systems, and a persistent shortage of qualified finance and payroll professionals. These constraints often force business owners and internal teams to spend disproportionate time on manual administrative tasks. Integral’s proposition is to relieve that burden through automation, standardized workflows, and on demand expert support.
Technology, AI, and Service Integration
Integral’s platform is built around AI driven automation that handles repetitive processes such as data entry, reconciliation, and document classification. With cleverlohn integrated, the company intends to extend these capabilities to payroll runs, HR related calculations, and regulatory reporting, while maintaining human oversight where needed. The resulting combined solution is designed to give SMEs and partners real time visibility into accounting, tax, and payroll data, supported by responsive customer service.
Use of Funding and Growth Plans
The fresh capital will be used to advance Integral’s product roadmap in close collaboration with existing and new customers. Investment will also support team expansion in Germany across technology, operations, and advisory functions to meet growing demand. Over time, Integral plans to leverage its enhanced product suite and funding base to deepen its presence in Europe and consolidate its position in AI enabled financial services for SMEs.
Integral’s acquisition of cleverlohn and its new funding round mark a significant acceleration of its strategy to build an AI first advisory firm for small and medium sized businesses. By combining AI technology, payroll and HR expertise, and investor backing, the company is positioning itself as a partner for SMEs seeking more efficient and reliable financial operations. As regulatory complexity and talent shortages persist, Integral and cleverlohn aim to offer a unified platform that helps businesses focus more on growth and less on administrative work.