Promise
Promise builds payment processing tools for governments to help residents pay off debt. The Oakland-based company has raised $48M and employs 246 people.
The growth story
Promise grew from 98 to 246 employees between 2021 and 2026, raising $48M along the way, most recently a Series B in February 2022.
About
Promise sells software that governments use to collect payments from residents. Its platform supports mobile payments, multiple languages, and payment plans, aiming to make it easier for people to pay government debts.
The company raised $48M in a Series B round in February 2022. Its 246-person team includes engineers and customer support staff who work around the clock to assist users.
Founders and leadership
Engineering is Promise's largest function, with 25 employees. The company is led by a team with backgrounds in technology and government services.
The Promise org chart
Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins (Co-Founder) leads 25 mapped leaders with 6 direct reports. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Engineering 30 (+43% YoY), Operations 25 (0% YoY), Business Development 20 (+18% YoY), Sales 18 (+20% YoY), Customer Success and Support 16 (0% YoY), Information Technology 16 (+7% YoY).
Talent flow
Promise hires heavily from Palantir Technologies, Google, and Deloitte. Its employees have median tenure of 2 years, with alumni going on to found several small startups.
Most common previous employers of Promise staff: Palantir Technologies (13), Google (6), Deloitte (5), Capital One (4), San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (3), Epic (3). Former Promise employees most often moved to AI Fund (1), Elevation Chief of Staff Training and Placement (1), CAREDIFY (1), New York State Assembly (1), stitchops (1), Work for America (1).
Alumni worth knowing
The Promise mafia
Promise alumni have founded 6 companies, including RISETEK (31 employees) and Cenote (4 employees).
6Frank Pinero, was Growth until 2022Kofi Ansong, was Software Engineer until 2024Thomas Bieser, was Seed Investor until 2024Melanie Jones, was Chief of Staff until 2023Roser Flores, was Campaign Manager until 2022Abdoulaye Faye, was Assistant Manager en Communication Marketing until 2021What this company is made of
Most common skills at Promise: Python (Programming Language) (31), Leadership (30), Microsoft Office (29), Project Management (29), SQL (27), Research Skills (25), Java (25), Management (24).
Where the team actually sits
Promise people are concentrated in California, United States (21), District of Columbia, United States (18), San Francisco Bay Area (14), Washington DC-Baltimore Area (7). 2 offices on record.
Frequently asked
Promise has 246 employees as of September 2026.
Promise has raised $48M in total, most recently a Series B round in February 2022.
Promise was founded in 2017 by Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Diana Frappier.
Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins (Co-Founder) sits at the top of Promise's reporting structure, with 6 direct reports.
The most common previous employers of current Promise staff are Palantir Technologies (13 people), Google (6 people), Deloitte (5 people).
Former Promise employees most often move to AI Fund (1), Elevation Chief of Staff Training and Placement (1), CAREDIFY (1).
At least 6 companies have a founder who previously worked at Promise, including RISETEK, Cenote, stitchops.
The most common skills among Promise staff are Python (Programming Language), Leadership, Microsoft Office, Project Management, SQL.
Promise staff are concentrated in California, United States (21), District of Columbia, United States (18), San Francisco Bay Area (14).
Promise has about 30 people in Engineering, up 43% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Promise has about 25 people in Operations, up 0% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 82 current and 96 former Promise profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
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