Tangent secures £884k pre-seed funding to improve social mobility in tech
The pre-seed round was backed by investors including Zinc VC and the Google Black Founders Fund to launch the platform publicly.
Tangent operates a platform that connects jobseekers from low socioeconomic backgrounds with tech employees for mentoring and referrals. The company aims to improve social mobility within the technology sector.
London-based technology start-up Tangent has secured £884k in a pre-seed funding round to support social mobility in the technology sector. The investment was backed by Zinc VC, the Google Black Founders Fund, and Syndicate Room, alongside several high-profile angel investors and scouts from Atomico and Ada Ventures.
The capital will coincide with the public launch of the platform, which initially targets entry-level sales roles by linking candidates directly with staff at prominent firms such as Amazon, Stripe, and Revolut. Co-founders Gary Izunwa and Joe Adams established the business after meeting through Zinc VC, drawing on their professional backgrounds at LinkedIn and EE to address homogeneity in employee referral pipelines.
From the founder
"You are nine times more likely to be hired through an employee referral, however if you come from a less privileged background like me, chances are you don’t have a professional network to get referred"
Gary Izunwa
Co-founder & CEO at Tangent
Investor perspective
"Tangent sits at the heart of Zinc’s thesis of building commercial solutions to solve the world’s most pressing problems. We’ve been inspired by the progress that Gary and Joe have achieved in a short space of time and are excited to continue to partner with them on the next phase of their journey"
Ella Goldner
General Partner, Zinc