ShiftWizard, a web-based work force scheduling solution, has raised $3 million in its first round of venture capital.

The startup also has a new CEO – veteran venture capital investor Joe Velk who once worked at Intersouth Partners in Durham.

  • Exclusive: Read WTW’s interview with Joe Velk about how and why he took the job.

Leading the investment is Rolling Hills Ventures out of Nashville and Resolute Venture Partners in Houston. It’s their first investment in a North Carolina company. The firms are part of Clayton Associates, a investment company launched in 1996 by Hospital Corporation of America Chairman R. Clayton McWhorter.

Rolling Hills Ventures Managing Partner Richard Bovender, Velk and Jay Zeidman, managing partner at Resolute Venture Partners, join the company’s board. Other members are ShiftWizard co-founders Christian Pardue and Shane Parker.

“For us, finding the right investment partners had to be about more than just the money itself. It was very important for us to find investors with the right expertise and the right relationships, to help ShiftWizard expand our reach even further into the healthcare industry,” Pardue said in a statement.

Added Parker: “We are proud of the organic growth and success we have already experienced, but we are excited to leverage this funding and our new leadership team to help even more healthcare organizations manage their workforce successfully, while ultimately improving patient care.”

Velk moves to ShiftWizard from Contender Capital, which he managed for 16 years. He also was a co-manager of the North Carolina Enterprise Fund for 13 years.

ShiftWizard launched its initial work force management solution in 2007 focusing on healthcare. The platform was developed by nurses.

“The fact that the company was founded by healthcare professionals was the first thing that caught our attention. But, it was easy to see the value in ShiftWizard’s SaaS healthcare workforce solution, and to understand the benefits hospitals could achieve, including major cost savings,” Bovender said in the announcement.

Its solution has been expanded to include scheduling, point of care productivity and forecasting. ShiftWizard says it has more than 100,000 users.