Girlboss, SEEK, and more: news of the recruitment marketing industry

November 20, 2018
JobBoardDoctor
0 Comments

girlboss It’s that time again – time to see what’s been happening in recruitment marketing around the globe (because, as you know, this is definitely a global business). We heard from DHI last week; what’s going with everyone else? Let’s see:

Adzuna buys Work in Startups: Adzuna used some of its recently acquired VC dollars to purchase Work In Startups. Terms of deal aren’t being disclosed. However, it will see Adzuna take over operation of the Work In Startups website but continue to run it as an independent brand and community. Notably, the site will remain free to post jobs. “Would we do other similar acquisitions in the future? For now, it’s a one-off but maybe for right asset,” says Andrew Hunter, Adzuna’s co-founder. Interesting.
Girlboss to launch social network: Girlboss, a career site geared toward millennial women, was founded by Sophia Amoruso and recently got a $3.5 million cash infusion in a funding round led by Initialized Capital. As of its most recent funding round in 2017, the company was valued at $13.1 million. Amoruso’s plan is to roll out a paid professional social-networking platform called Girlboss Collective in January.The site will be developed as a networking hub to serve young women whose careers don’t necessarily line up with a traditional trajectory, particularly if they are freelancing, have multiple part-time jobs or gaps in their resume. LinkedIn, beware?
Facebook keeps trying: Facebook has launched a new education portal, Learn with Facebook; and it is expanding features for two services it had already launched that are adjacent to that, Mentorships and Jobs. Mentorships will now be opened for users to make their own matches; and those posting Jobs will now be able to post them in Groups where they are members. Baby steps?
Hackajob raises cash: Hackajob, a UK-based job platform for techies, has recently received ￡5 million ($6.7 million) in Series A funding from investors to fast track the company’s growth. The company plans to use the funding to open new office locations around the world, continue developing its technology, expand its internal teams, and invest in marketing. It plans to open offices in Paris, Berlin, and the U.S. World domination next?
SEEK invests in Mexican school: SEEK Ltd. executed its $20.5 Million Acquisition of 30% Stake in Universidad Tecnológica Latinoamericana (UTEL), from Linzor Capital Partners. SEEK, which is led by Andrew R Bassat, Geoff I Roberts and Michael J Ilczynski, in 2017 recorded $929 Million Revenues. La Universidad Tecnológica Latinoamericana en Línea is an educational institution that offers doctorate, master’s, bachelor’s, and high school programs. The institution is based in Mexico City, Mexico. Yes, SEEK indeed earned $929M last year.
Teamable acquires Simppler: San Francisco-based Teamable, which uses social networks to facilitate employee referrals, has raised $5 million in additional funds and acquired Simppler, a competitor in the referral space. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Teamable sources referrals from existing employees’ social media contacts, factoring in previous experience, relevant skills, location, and a host of other variables such as how that company tends to hire and if they could benefit from more diversity. Is this a referral play that will actually go the distance?
VONQ partners with SmartRecruiters: VONQ – which is the biggest recruitment advertising media agency in the Netherlands – has partnered with SmartRecruiters, the cloud-based ATS company. The partnership will enable SmartRecruiters’ customers to access the most relevant media channels and allow them to place vacancies more easily. VONQ has a media buying platform with 1,000+ jobboards; this will be integrated in SmartRecruiters. Smart move.
Handshake raises $40M: Handshake, a platform for students and the employers trying to reach them, has raised $40 million in a Series C round of funding, after hitting 14 million users in the U.S. across 700 universities, and 300,000 employers targeting them. The company is now valued at $275 million post-money, according to figures from PitchBook, a big leap on its valuation at the Series B stage two years ago, when it was valued at $108 million. The plan is to use the new funding to expand into more markets like Europe. Very interesting.
Upwork revenue is…up: Online staffing provider Upwork reported third-quarter revenue rose 22.7% to $64.1 million. The growth was driven by an increase in core clients and an increase in client spend retention, the company said in a conference call with investors.The company expects fourth-quarter revenue in the range of $64.5 million to $66.0 million; for the full year 2018, Upwork expects revenue in the range of $250.5 million to $252.0 million. Impressive.
Workgenius moving into U.S.: Founded in 2012, Workgenius, a Hamburg-based company, recently increased its Series A round to €8.5 million, bringing its total amount raised to over €12 million. The company plans to use the new funding to expand its presence in the US and further develop its platform. Currently employing 55 people, the startup plans to grow its staff to 100 people by the end of 2019. Also impressive.
Wonolo raises $32M: Wonolo, a platform for workers to connect with businesses that need to staff up quickly specifically in labor-based roles in areas like retail, manufacturing and shipping — or, as it describes itself “other industries left behind by Silicon Valley’s future of work technologies” — has raised $32 million to meet the blue-collar demand. The company says it now has 300,000 users registered on its platform, and it connects would-be workers with companies that include Coca-Cola, Papa Johns, and Uniqlo. This latest round, the company said, will be used to expand its own staff (not clear if these will be contracted or salaried staff), as well as continue to expand its business. Interesting.