Toronto-based hiring pros Kira Talent has secured $2 million in seed funding from a big, giant crowd of people, led by Relay Ventures. 18 other investors took part in the round.
Kira Talent calls itself “the world’s simplest and easiest to use video interviewing platform.” Talent recruiters can be setup in minutes and save up to 75 percent of their recruiting efforts. The process revolves around recording video questions, receiving video responses from candidates, and then collaboratively ranking, sharing, and comparing the results with the selection committee.
“The renewed commitment by our investors is a testament to the incredible traction Kira Talent has seen in the market,” said CEO Emilie Cushman. “Over the past 12 months Kira Talent has seen fantastic global market adoption, having served over 80 countries and onboarding world leading organizations.”
The new cash will be used to accelerate product development, specifically mobile and analytics suites. Over the coming months Kira Talent will be releasing a suite of new products that create “the world’s simplest and easiest to use video interview screening platform.”
Other investors who took part in the round included Tony Lacavera (CEO of Wind Mobile), Reza Satchu, Roger Martin, Gary Slaight, David Shaw (CEO of Knightsbridge Human Capital). Those names may sound familiar, as most of them already took part in a December 2012 seed round for the company. The amount of the investment wasn’t disclosed for that deal.
“As we look to the future, we’re thrilled the develop the industry’s leading mobile suite that will allow reviewers and applicants to have a world-class recruitment experience across devices” said cofounder Konrad Listwan-Ciesielski “We’ve listened very carefully to our clients and know that data and analytics are critical to showing the strategic value HR drives in an organization.”
The company offered that just 10 percent of companies reported to using video interviewing in 2010, but in 2012 over 60 percent of companies used video interviewing in some form. User devices are saturated with camera functionality and “as the war for talent rages on, companies need faster and more innovative ways to screen applicants.” By 2025 over 75 percent of the workforce will be millennials who expect technology to be part of every aspect of their recruitment and employment experience.
“Video interviewing is not a fad, but represents a truly innovative way to improve the recruitment process by saving time and having greater visibility into the personality and potential of your candidates” said Cushman. “If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million. At Kira Talent we are passionate about making the screening process beautiful and productive.”
