Zinc.it

Zinc operates as a global, automated background and reference checking platform, targeting human resources and recruitment teams. The company was established in 2017 to enhance efficiency, transparency, and fairness in the hiring process. Co-founder Luke Shipley is part of the founding team.

The firm's core business revolves around providing a suite of verification services that streamline the pre-employment screening process. Its platform offers more than 12 types of checks across over 190 countries, significantly reducing the administrative burden on hiring teams. Clients can automate the entire workflow, from requesting checks to receiving verified results directly within their existing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) or Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS). This integration eliminates manual data handling and cuts down the time-to-hire from weeks to an average of three days. Zinc serves a diverse client base, including medium-to-large enterprises in regulated sectors like finance, healthcare, and energy, with customers such as Octopus Energy, Bolt, and HelloFresh.

The service portfolio is comprehensive, featuring global right-to-work checks, employment history verification (integrated with HMRC in the UK), and checks for education, criminal records, addresses, media, and financial history. A key feature is the mobile-friendly, candidate-centric approach, where applicants have real-time visibility into the status of their checks and retain ownership of their data. The platform is certified under the UK government's IDVT Trust Framework for identity verification and holds ISO 27001 certification for data security. Revenue is generated through its various checking services, which can be bundled into reusable packages for different roles.

In July 2023, Zinc secured £5 million in a Series A funding round led by AVP (AXA Venture Partners), with participation from Seedcamp, to support its global expansion and product development. Keywords: background checks, employee screening, recruitment automation, HR technology, compliance, identity verification, reference checking, global hiring, pre-employment screening, ATS integration, HRIS integration, candidate experience, right-to-work checks, criminal record checks, employment verification, automated referencing, talent acquisition, HR compliance, data security, hiring workflow