Headstart secures £5.4m pre-series A funding from FoundersX to expand operations.
The investment round was led by FoundersX with participation from Founders Factory, Y Combinator, and Plug and Play Ventures.
Headstart provides diversity recruiting software that uses data science to remove bias from the hiring process. The platform combines candidate assessment and management to help large organisations find suitable candidates regardless of background.
HR technology company Headstart has secured £5.4m in pre-series A funding led by FoundersX. The round also drew participation from Founders Factory, Y Combinator, and Plug and Play Ventures. The capital will be used to further develop the platform, expand the team, and enter international markets.
The company uses data science and automation to help large enterprises reduce hiring bias and improve time to hire. Its software has been utilised by major firms such as Accenture, resulting in cost savings and improved demographic diversity within candidate pools. Headstart plans to build on this momentum to scale its operations and extend its reach.
From the founder
"This is a massive achievement for us. When we came to market 2 years ago we were probably the only technology company talking about fairness and diversity. Fairness has been our core purpose from day one, it’s in our DNA, and we are so grateful to our investors and clients who saw how important our message was. For me this represents an investment in diversity, not just our company. This latest round will allow us to grow our capability in our core markets, levelling the playing field and breaking the cycle of exclusion that still chronically prevalent in the world of work. It is also a huge vote of confidence in the team who have worked so hard over the past 2 years to bring our purpose to life."
Gareth Jones
CEO at Headstart
Investor perspective
"Congrats to Nick, Gareth and Headstart AI team for closing $7M pre-A round! Great to see their smart recruiting algorithm validated by Fortune 500 clients with strong growth momentum. I firmly believe diversity is the result of hiring for the best. Headstart AI made that possible."
Helen Liang
Founder & Managing Partner, FoundersX
Use of funds
- 01Continue product development
- 02Grow the team
- 03Expand into international markets
