Mercor Opens New HQ at 181 Fremont as Company Expands Hiring Platform

Mercor, a startup focused on connecting businesses with global contract workers, has moved into a new headquarters inside 181 Fremont Street in downtown San Francisco. The office, located on one of the upper floors of the tower, includes glass-walled meeting rooms and overlooks Salesforce Park. It’s a notable upgrade for a company that has grown quickly over the past year.

Co-founder and CEO Brendan Foody said the move reflects Mercor’s ambitions to scale the remote hiring platform beyond its current user base. The startup matches U.S.-based companies with engineers, designers, and other technical workers from outside the country. Clients use Mercor to oversee payments and compliance, while workers are hired as contractors.

Mercor launched just two years ago and has already reached profitability, according to Foody. He declined to provide specific revenue figures but said the company processes contracts for workers in over 70 countries. Many of those contractors are based in Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Most of the hiring companies are early-stage startups looking to reduce labor costs while accessing a broader talent pool.

Foody said one of Mercor’s selling points is helping companies build long-term relationships with offshore talent. “We want founders to build actual teams, not just gig workers,” he said. The platform offers basic HR tools like time tracking and team management, but its primary function remains contractor sourcing and international payroll.

The company currently employs about 30 people, with a mix of roles across engineering, sales, and customer support. Mercor’s own team is mostly based in San Francisco and New York, though it also uses contractors abroad. Foody said the new office can accommodate up to 75 employees and will serve as a hub for company meetings and client visits.

The building at 181 Fremont is one of San Francisco’s most high-end office towers. Meta was previously the anchor tenant but subleased its offices in 2023 during a broader downsizing of its real estate footprint. Mercor’s move into the building reflects a small but growing trend among younger companies capitalizing on the availability of premium office space in the city’s struggling commercial market.

Foody said Mercor’s team is embracing in-person work, at least part of the time. Most staff work from the office two or three times a week. He described the new headquarters as a long-term investment in growth.

Mercor raised $3.6 million in a seed round from investors including General Catalyst and 8VC. A larger funding round could follow later this year, depending on market conditions.

Despite the downturn in the tech sector and pressures on startups to reduce spending, Mercor is betting that remote hiring is no longer a temporary fix but part of a long-term shift. Foody pointed to continued interest from venture-backed startups trying to stretch funding by hiring abroad. “Even when capital gets tight, people still need to ship code,” he said.

As Mercor scales, it faces competition from other remote hiring platforms like Deel, Remote, and Andela. Foody said Mercor’s strategy will focus on specialized service for early-stage companies and a curated pool of talent, rather than trying to serve enterprise clients.

With its new headquarters open, the company plans to host community events, recruiting sessions, and founder meetups aimed at building visibility in the local startup scene.

“We’re in San Francisco because our customers are here,” Foody said. “This is still where tech gets built.”