Qualifi, an on-demand candidate screening platform, has successfully raised its institutional capital from the first round of investment.
The upcoming platform, once released, would allow recruitment teams to conduct phone interviews with hundreds of candidates in a matter of minutes. It has announced successfully raising a $600,000 pre-seed investment in its first round. Its major investors include Sixty8 Capital - the Indianapolis-based venture capital firm that provides seed funding for Black, Brown, women, and LGBTQ+ led startups - together with Elevate Ventures, Queen City Angels, Flywheel Fund, and a number of angel investors. In its statement, Qualifi declares its intent to use the funds to grow its business, investing in aspects of its operations such as sales and marketing. The move is expected to optimize the platform even further to better serve its clients.
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Improving the Hiring and Interviewing Process
Qualifi empowers recruiters to create a smooth and efficient one-way interview experience using voice and audio. Aspiring candidates only need to respond to these pre-recorded prompts and inquiries as one would do over a standard phone call. With this approach, both candidates and recruiters no longer have to conduct back-and-forth scheduling, reducing the communication times and capturing the responses better. This allows recruiters to scale their screening efforts, with users of Qualifi already taking off an equivalent of one week from their time-to-hire lead times.
"We've been recruiters ourselves and we spend so much time listening to our customers to understand the challenges they face, that we know exactly what they need from us," said Qualifi CEO and co-founder Darrian Mikell. He explains that the investment they receive will allow Qualifi to "build functionality into the platform much faster," which would expand their capability to respond to the screening needs of their customers in vertical industries like healthcare, call centers, and "other fast-paced industries."
Rapid Growth from Accelerators
First founded in 2019, Qualifi saw rapid growth from accelerator and Pitch Pardi programs from Be Nimble, an Indianapolois social enterprise that supports the growth of Black-initiated tech ecosystems. As the first alumnus of a Be Nimble accelerator to successfully raise funds from a venture capital round, Qualifi establishes itself that leveling the playing field for business founders of color can result in high-growth, high-scale tech companies, increased job creation, and ultimately, generational wealth.
Additionally, Qualifi has recently completed its run with TechStars Anywhere, a startup accelerator that focuses on businesses that operate remotely. The program, which does not require its founders to relocate their businesses anywhere. Instead, founders only need to meet up together, learn the ropes with mentors, and implement progressive strategies that would ensure their businesses' survival anywhere.
"Since Darrian pitched us his idea for Qualifi at Pitch Pardi, I've believed in his mission to make recruiting quicker and simpler, commented Kelli Jones, managing partner at Sixty8 Capital and founder - CEO at Be Nimble. She also adds that the growth Qualifi demonstrated, as well as its team leadership and effect on customers, further reinforced their decision to support the startup with their investment.
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