Headstart

Headstart provides an AI-based job matching platform designed to help organizations hire talent, particularly for early-career positions, in an unbiased and efficient manner. Founded in 2015 in London by Nicholas Shekerdemian and Jeremy Hindle, the company was created to make the recruitment process fairer by focusing on a candidate's potential rather than their pedigree. Shekerdemian, a University of Oxford student at the time, was passionate about improving the stressful graduate recruitment process and promoting diversity in the workplace.

The company's core technology utilizes machine learning and data science to analyze a candidate's complete profile, including psychometric data on personality, behaviors, and motivations, not just qualifications on a resume. This allows recruiters to see a match score indicating which candidates are the best fit for a role, irrespective of factors like gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background. The platform automates workflows from application screening to candidate selection, providing features like a candidate dashboard, real-time analytical reporting, and candidate ranking. For applicants, Headstart offers an engaging and reusable 15-minute application form.

A graduate of the Y Combinator (S17) batch, Headstart secured a total of $7.12 million in funding over five rounds, including a significant $7 million seed round in November 2019. Its clients have included major organizations such as Accenture, Vodafone, and Expedia. In August 2022, Headstart was acquired by Silverback United, Inc. for $14 million in an all-stock transaction. Following the acquisition, Headstart operates as an independent subsidiary of Silverback, with co-founder Nicholas Shekerdemian joining Silverback's Board of Directors as Vice Chairman.

Keywords: recruitment automation, talent acquisition, machine learning, HR tech, unbiased hiring, diversity and inclusion, applicant tracking system, candidate screening, psychometric assessment, early talent recruitment, graduate hiring, HR software, data-driven recruiting, predictive hiring, potential assessment, recruitment analytics, automated workflow, human capital management, talent matching, AI recruitment