saas.group Acquires Berlin Workforce Planner Aplano in 28th Deal
saas.group has bought Berlin-based Aplano, a shift planning tool used by more than 2,500 businesses, marking its 28th acquisition and expanding its HR software portfolio.
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giftdetect· the right gift in minutessaas.group, a conglomerate of independent SaaS businesses, has acquired Aplano, a Berlin-based workforce planning software for small and mid-sized companies. It is the group's 28th acquisition and strengthens its HR software portfolio.
Founded in 2020, Aplano combines shift planning, time tracking and absence management in one app. Managers build and publish schedules, while employees check and swap shifts, enter availability and request leave. Working hours are recorded by phone, tablet or terminal and exported for payroll. More than 2,500 companies use it, including pharmacies, care services, retail, hospitality, logistics and cleaning businesses.
Built by founders who lived the problem
Aplano's co-founders say the product started in a pharmacy, where shifts were planned in spreadsheets and changes were sorted out over chat messages. They funded the company themselves. "Today more than 2,500 businesses plan their weeks with Aplano, and the next stage needs more than three founders can give it," said co-founder David Gregorian. For existing customers, nothing changes today: same product, same people, with a larger team behind it.
Tim Schumacher, Founding Partner at saas.group, said Aplano is the kind of company the group likes to back. He noted that shift work keeps pharmacies, care homes and shops running, yet many such teams still plan their week in spreadsheets.
Why it matters
The deal fits saas.group's strategy of buying SaaS businesses with strong product-market fit and annual recurring revenue between €1.7 million ($2 million) and €8 million ($10 million). Founded in 2017 by Schumacher, Ulrich Essmann, Tobias Schlottke and David Khalil, the group has bought 28 companies, including Tower, Rewardful, Prefender, Jicer, Seobility, Timebutler and, most recently, 3D AI Studio.
The acquisition also comes amid investor interest in software for shift-based and frontline workers across Europe in 2026. Nesto raised €11 million, Flip €22 million, Bounti €4 million, Elephant Company over €5 million, HR Duo €1.6 million and Orbio €18.09 million, together more than €61.69 million.
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