Top 100 Recruiting Startups to Watch in 2026
The recruiting industry is being reshaped by artificial intelligence, with new companies emerging to automate the hiring process. Many of these startups are attracting large investments to build their platforms.
For example, Mercor, an AI hiring platform founded in 2023, has already secured $483.6M in funding. Other companies like Paradox and SmartRecruiters are also using AI to change how businesses find talent.
Below is our list of 100 Recruiting startups worth keeping an eye on.
Failory's Top 10 Picks
1. Mercor
Mercor built an AI-powered platform to automate the hiring process for companies seeking remote talent. Their system sources, interviews, and vets candidates, presenting businesses with a shortlist of top technical professionals.
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2023 |
| Founders | Adarsh Hiremath, Brendan Foody, Surya Midha |
| Funding Amount | $483.6M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Menlo Ventures, General Catalyst, Benchmark, Felicis, Link Ventures, Robinhood Ventures |
Paradox created Olivia, a conversational AI assistant that helps companies automate recruiting tasks like screening candidates and scheduling interviews. The platform handles the administrative workload so hiring teams can focus on the human side of recruiting.
| Headquarters | Scottsdale, Arizona, United States |
| Year Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Aaron Matos |
| Funding Amount | $253.3M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Sapphire Ventures, Thoma Bravo, Workday Ventures, Geodesic Capital, SAP.iO |
micro1 built an AI-powered platform to help companies hire top remote software engineers from a global talent pool. By automating the entire hiring process from sourcing to technical interviews, they enable companies to onboard vetted engineers in as little as 24 hours.
| Headquarters | Palo Alto, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2022 |
| Founders | Ali Ansari |
| Funding Amount | $41.6M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series A |
| Top Investors | LAUNCH, 01 Advisors, Activant Capital, Motley Fool Ventures, Companyon Ventures |
Tern Group built an AI-powered platform to help healthcare organizations hire and relocate top talent from around the world. Their system streamlines the entire process, from recruitment to immigration, making it quicker and more cost-effective for medical institutions to fill critical roles.
| Headquarters | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Year Founded | 2023 |
| Founders | Avinav Nigam, Krishna Ramkumar |
| Funding Amount | $33M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series A |
| Top Investors | RTP Global, LocalGlobe, Notion Capital, Leo Capital, Presight Capital |
Platzi has created an online learning platform that provides professional courses in areas like programming, business, and design. Their curriculum emphasizes practical, in-demand skills designed to help students achieve their career goals.
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | Christian Van Der Henst, John Freddy Vega |
| Funding Amount | $78.4M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | 500 Global, Endeavor Catalyst, Y Combinator, FJ Labs, Prosus |
SmartRecruiters develops an all-in-one hiring platform that helps businesses streamline their talent acquisition process. Their software combines recruiting marketing, candidate relationship management, and applicant tracking into a single system.
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2010 |
| Founders | Jerome Ternynck |
| Funding Amount | $225M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series E |
| Top Investors | Insight Partners, Mayfield Fund, Salesforce Ventures, Acadian Ventures, Counterview Capital |
Scorability has developed a sports platform that matches athletes with college athletics programs. Their service provides a streamlined way for student-athletes to get discovered and for college coaches to find new talent.
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas, United States |
| Year Founded | 2023 |
| Founders | Brett Andrew, Brian Cruver |
| Funding Amount | $51M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Silverton Partners, Next Coast Ventures, Fanatics, Bluestone Equity Partners, Luther King Capital Management |
ProofPilot provides a platform designed to streamline the entire clinical study lifecycle, from recruitment to participant retention. Their software helps study stakeholders design, deploy, and manage trials more efficiently.
| Headquarters | New York, New York, United States |
| Year Founded | 2014 |
| Founders | Lochlan McHale, Matthew Amsden |
| Funding Amount | $23.4M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, Excelra, Mitsui & Co., First Trust Capital Partners, Sopris Capital Associates |
Censia's talent intelligence platform uses AI to generate skills data and insights for employees and HR teams. The software is designed to help organizations make better decisions across the entire talent lifecycle, from recruiting to internal mobility.
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2017 |
| Founders | Bruce Cooper, Joanna Riley, Tim Johnson |
| Funding Amount | $81.5M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | Plug and Play, Flybridge, Streamlined Ventures, Workday Ventures, Merus Capital |
Glassdoor operates one of the largest online job and career communities. The platform gives professionals access to millions of anonymous company reviews, salary reports, and interview questions to help them make more informed career decisions.
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2007 |
| Founders | Tim Besse |
| Funding Amount | $204.5M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Secondary Market |
| Top Investors | Battery Ventures, Benchmark, Tiger Global Management, T. Rowe Price, CapitalG |
90 Additional Recruiting Startups Worth Following
Those top 10 are just a small part of a much bigger picture in the recruiting space. Together, the companies on our full list have raised billions, and a huge number of them are using AI to change how hiring gets done.
You'll see a mix of brand new startups and more established players, each tackling a different piece of the puzzle. Below is a look at the other 90 companies shaping the future of recruiting.
| Startup | Main Industry | Year Founded | Amount Raised | Last Funding Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gem | Communications | 2017 | $148M | Series C |
 Grayscale | Hardware | 2017 | $13.3M | Series A |
 Dover | SaaS | 2019 | $22.8M | Series A |
 Fuel50 | AI | 2013 | $36.1M | Series B |
 Lever | SaaS | 2012 | $122.8M | Private Equity |
 Deel | Fintech | 2019 | $1.28B | Secondary Market |
 Incredible Health | Healthcare | 2017 | $99.6M | Series B |
 ClearCompany | Enterprise | 2004 | $63.5M | Venture Round |
 Greenhouse Software | Enterprise | 2012 | $110.1M | Series D |
 Careerspan | AI | 2023 | $1.3M | Pre-Seed |
 Nova | Enterprise | 2020 | $3.7M | Series A |
 Ontop | Fintech | 2020 | $34.7M | Series A |
 Alex AI | AI | 2023 | $20.5M | Series A |
 HireArt | Enterprise | 2012 | $33.5M | Series B |
 Mappa.ai | AI | 2022 | $3.4M | Seed |
 Loxo | AI | 2012 | $115M | Private Equity |
 Ethos | AI | 2024 | $3M | Seed |
 Swing Education | Education | 2015 | $80.8M | Debt Financing |
 Searchlight | Analytics | 2018 | $19.5M | Series A |
 ModernLoop | SaaS | 2020 | $12.1M | Series A |
 Draup | AI | 2017 | $20M | Series A |
 Workfully | Enterprise | 2022 | $5.2M | Seed |
 Velocity Global | Education | 2014 | $500M | Series B |
 Eightfold AI | AI | 2016 | $396.8M | Series E |
 Beamery | Enterprise | 2014 | $223M | Debt Financing |
 HackerRank | Education | 2009 | $102.9M | Series D |
 Datapeople | Enterprise | 2016 | $21M | Series A |
 hackajob | AI | 2014 | $33M | Series B |
 Nodes | AI | 2023 | $425k | Pre-Seed |
 Built In | Media | 2010 | $29.9M | Series C |
 Humanly.io | AI | 2020 | $30.2M | Series A |
 Appcast | Marketing | 2014 | $9.7M | Series B |
 hireEZ | AI | 2015 | $45.5M | Series B |
 Welcome to the Jungle | Marketing | 2014 | $87.4M | Series C |
 Findem | Analytics | 2019 | $37.3M | Series B |
 XpressJobs | Education | 2015 | LKR100M | Angel |
 Jobright | AI | 2023 | $7.7M | Seed |
 Home From College | Education | 2020 | $6.9M | Seed |
 Paraform | Marketplace | 2023 | $25M | Series A |
 myInterview | Enterprise | 2020 | $17.4M | Series A |
 Orbio | AI | 2025 | $6.4M | Seed |
 TestGorilla | Education | 2019 | $81.2M | Series A |
 Sapia | AI | 2013 | $21.5M | Series A |
 QX Global Group | Fintech | 2003 | £100M | Private Equity |
 Dex | AI | 2025 | $3.1M | Pre-Seed |
 Talentiqa | Enterprise | 2021 | €1.4M | Seed |
 Maki | Data | 2021 | $37M | Series A |
 Personio | Education | 2015 | $724.3M | Series E |
 Apna | Media | 2019 | $193.5M | Series C |
 Keka HR | Enterprise | 2015 | $58.6M | Series A |
 Vahan.ai | AI | 2016 | $18M | Venture Round |
 Everday | AI | 2024 | $300k | Pre-Seed |
 Gigged.AI | AI | 2021 | £3.4M | Seed |
 Zwayam | AI | 2015 | $3.5M | Corporate Round |
 Gupy | AI | 2015 | $105M | Series B |
 TurboHire | AI | 2019 | $9M | Series A |
 CollegeDekho | Education | 2015 | $69.5M | Venture Round |
 Unstop | Education | 2016 | $5.2M | Undisclosed |
 TieTalent | Marketing | 2017 | CHF1.5M | Seed |
 Workwise | Enterprise | 2013 | €12M | Series A |
 HUNTY | Education | 2020 | $9.4M | Seed |
 Askable | Analytics | 2016 | A$22M | Series A |
 TALY | Education | 2014 | $500k | Pre-Seed |
 Bryq | Enterprise | 2017 | $5.4M | Seed |
 Jobbatical | AI | 2014 | $19.7M | Series A |
 LeadForceTalent | AI | 2023 | $229.6k | Pre-Seed |
 Alison | Education | 2007 | €7M | Debt Financing |
 InHire | Enterprise | 2021 | R$9.9M | Venture Round |
 Galena | Education | 2020 | $24.2M | Series A |
 Taskmaster Resources | Education | 1994 | £15M | Debt Financing |
 Finlay | AI | 2024 | $300k | Pre-Seed |
 Start Carreiras | Education | 2022 | R$20M | Seed |
 EPICODE | Enterprise | 2020 | €11M | Series A |
 HoyTrabajas | Enterprise | 2020 | $5.5M | Seed |
 Cake | Enterprise | 2016 | $5.9M | Series A |
 Sun Asterisk | Media | 2013 | ¥2.1B | Debt Financing |
 NodeFlair | AI | 2018 | $2M | Series A |
 Get on Board | Enterprise | 2014 | $600k | Seed |
 The Wise Seeker | Enterprise | 2018 | $10M | Venture Round |
 HRBrain | Enterprise | 2016 | ¥2.6B | Venture Round |
 Hosco | Education | 2011 | $16.1M | Venture Round |
 Viterbit | Enterprise | 2021 | $1.6M | Seed |
 CornerJob | Hardware | 2015 | $57M | Series C |
 Equalture | Enterprise | 2018 | €6.3M | Venture Round |
 EmmySoft | Data | 2021 | €4.5M | Seed |
 Landing.Jobs | Education | 2013 | $2.8M | Seed |
 Firefish Software | Automation | 2010 | £4.3M | Private Equity |
 ALOGIA Groupe | Healthcare | 2014 | €6.5M | Venture Round |
 Operam Education Group | Education | 2017 | £8.7M | Venture Round |
 Candidate.ID | Enterprise | 2015 | £2.3M | Seed |
