Recruitment agency marketplace Hiring Hub has raised a further 拢725,000 to develop its award-winning platform, continue scaling its team and fuel sales and marketing activity.
Ranked among the UK鈥檚 top 10 recruitment companies by independent review site Trustpilot, Hiring Hub is used by over 500 employers, who it helps find quality candidates quickly through its network of specialist recruitment agencies.
It鈥檚 free for employers to post briefs on the marketplace, while recruitment agencies pay a monthly membership fee to access the platform and increase their fee income.
Hiring Hub grew active employers users 102 per cent聽and active jobs 83 per cent聽last year following a 拢1.35m cash injection in 2017 from Maven Capital Partners, using its Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF), and existing investor VentureFounders.
The latest round of funding, secured from the aforementioned investors and Manchester Tech Trust Angels, will support Hiring Hub鈥檚 drive to democratise the UK鈥檚 recruitment agency market; giving employers an alternative to the big recruitment agency brands by making it easier for them to work with smaller, specialist recruiters, whom Hiring Hub believe respond faster and deliver a better quality of service over the big firms.
鈥淭he business has made real progress over the last 18 months,鈥� said Simon Swan, CEO of Hiring Hub.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic to have investors onboard that back our vision of supporting the UK鈥檚 16,000+ independent recruitment agencies, while using technology to provide transparency, choice and speed 鈥� in doing so enhancing the customer experience 鈥� in what is a 拢35 billion domestic market.鈥�
James Codling, managing director of VentureFounders said: 鈥淲e have backed Simon and the team since 2014. It’s great to see this Manchester-based business securing further VC capital and demonstrating strong growth.
“We’re delighted with Hiring Hub’s continued success, this capital being pivotal in allowing the company to scale and achieve its full potential.鈥�
Employers post jobs on Hiring Hub鈥檚 marketplace and state the fee they are willing to pay a recruitment agency upfront, for clarity. Agencies the employer selects then submit their best candidates.
The recruitment process is managed on Hiring Hub鈥檚 portal, centralising and streamlining what can be an admin-heavy activity.
Employers using Hiring Hub typically fill jobs in an average of 20 days, some three times faster than the industry average, while the top recruitment agencies on the platform make over 拢120k a year.
Peter Lusty, Chief Executive of Manchester Tech Trust said: 鈥淢anchester Tech Trust is delighted that its angel group, Manchester Tech Trust Angels, has completed its second investment. We have known Simon and the team at Hiring Hub for some time and are pleased to contribute to another Manchester tech success story.鈥�
The shape of the UK鈥檚 recruitment agency market has altered dramatically during the last decade, with a four-fold increase in the number of recruitment agencies with fewer than ten employees to 16,000.
Hiring Hub鈥檚 goal is to bring these small businesses together on one marketplace platform, using data and customer reviews to help employers find the right agency in the right moment.
Gavin Bell, Investment Manager at Maven Capital, said: 鈥淗iring Hub has made significant progress since our initial investment in 2017, as its team and proprietary platform continues to mature.
“We believe that the business is well-positioned within a market that is both fragmenting and growing quickly, and where technology can be applied to deliver myriad efficiencies and improve the customer experience.鈥�