Gurgaon-based entry-level talent acquisition platform, Kickstart Jobs has raised an undisclosed amount of series-seed funding from ah! ventures in collaboration with other investors.
The funding round also saw the active participation of many eminent investors like Vivek Joshi(Founder, Wyzen Tech), Mohit Satyanand (Chairman, Team Works Art), Amit Banati(President – Asia Pacific, Kellogg’s), Arun Khanna(President -Asia, Dun and Bradstreet) and a few others.
Started in August 2015 by IIT-XLRI alumni Samriddhi Malhotra and Abhishek Srivastava, Kickstart Jobs is a startups focusing on niche talent hiring in the entry level workforce, i.e the blue and grey collared job markets.
Kickstart Jobs currently operational in north Indian territories of Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon is acting as a bridge in solving the inherent problem in a highly fragmented entry-level workforce ecosystem. It aims to connect the entry-level candidates with prospective employers and vice-versa.
The market for entry level hiring is one with both tremendous potential as well as enormous challenges. None of the solutions present in the market today have been able to really delve into the job seeker’s psyche and create a solution that works for both candidates and employers. Kickstart is attempting to do just that.
says Ms. Malhotra
The company has developed a unique proposition where-in ‘Leaders’ are identified among a particular category of job seekers and collaborated with to utilize his network and connect with other entry-level candidates. It wants to equip the leaders with a mobile app to help on-board as many workers as possible.
The company in a short span of nine months has managed to amass more than 5000 registered candidates, enlist over 3000 vacancies, help conduct more than 2000 interviews and boasts a MoM growth of 100 per cent in the number of candidates scheduled for an interview on the hiring platform.
Harshad Lahoti, Founder and CEO of ah! Ventures expressed his opinion on the funding and says that,
As an investor, the growth that is about to unfold in this entry-level jobs sector in the near future is evident to me. This growth and spurt of service offerings in the sector is especially lucrative for the currently existing workforce of over 500+ million in the blue & grey collar ecosystem of India.
ah! Ventures and it’s investors saw that potential in Kickstart Jobs, not only in terms of their strong team but also in their unique methodology in operating and creating value for both, the job seeker & the employer.
Kickstart Jobs has entered an already crowded space, ruled by corporations like naukri.com, Monster or Shine. There are startups like Jobspire and Super who are also trying to disrupt the job market with their platforms. But, Kickstart Jobs might have a bright future among these players due to its niche, but it will still need to work on building its leadership and industry network. The established players already have that advantage and can lure niche users onto their platform.
ah! Ventures is known for its participation in the early stage funding ecosystem of India. The investors are in the process of closing two more investments in the following weeks, says the statement.
