Topics
Latest
AI
Amazon
Image Credits:erhui1979 / Getty Images
Apps
Biotech & Health
clime
Image Credits:erhui1979 / Getty Images
Cloud Computing
Commerce
Crypto
Ashby’s ATS platform, which can consolidate data from existing hiring and recruitment tools and add a layer of generative AI on top.Image Credits:Ashby
initiative
EVs
Fintech
fund raise
contraption
bet on
Government & Policy
Hardware
Layoffs
Media & Entertainment
Meta
Microsoft
Privacy
Robotics
Security
Social
Space
Startups
TikTok
Transportation
Venture
More from TechCrunch
event
Startup Battlefield
StrictlyVC
newssheet
Podcasts
video recording
Partner Content
TechCrunch Brand Studio
Crunchboard
Contact Us
Benjamin Encz ’s and Abhik Pramanik ’s paths to entrepreneurship were tenacious and strange .
Having antecedently worked as an R&D locomotive engineer at FX companies Industrial Light & Magic and DreamWorks on moving-picture show like “ transformer ” and “ How to prepare Your Dragon , ” Pramanik left the film industriousness in 2012 to fall in VC business firm Social Capital as an applied scientist in mansion . There , he co - founded Choir , a genial health app for iOS . Several years by and by , Pramanik was hired at PlanGrid , a construction productivity computer software inauguration , as a aged product manager , where he met Encz .
At PlanGrid , much of Encz ’s time was take away up by enlisting . ( He previously process at IBM in a rotational program before moving to Datagroup , a consulting house . ) It ’s at PlanGrid that Encz , the director of engineering , became acquainted with the hiring processes ’ pain in the neck points .
“ The industry has pass away from companies speedily develop headcount to abruptly retracting , changing the moral force of the talent market and how talent acquisition teams need to adjust , ” Encz told TechCrunch . “ The infliction is feel all the way at the top , with executive citing natural endowment as the number one topic , make them uneasy . ”
As a curative for this “ pain , ” Pramanik and Encz launchedAshby , a platform that consolidate be talent acquisition creature and leans heavily on AI to automatize the more insistent tone in the recruitment pipeline . Ashby can aid create job itemisation , source candidates and send calendar invite for interview while birth splashboard with real - time hiring metrics to stakeholders .
“ As hiring managers and leaders team members ourselves , we know how hard it has historically been for employee outside a recruiting squad to have a positive experience with an applicant tracking organization ( ATS ) , ” Encz said . “ Ashby was built with all stakeholders in nous , as we trust talent is the most important element for a society to be ordinate on for growth . ”
One of Ashby ’s AI capabilities , AI - bring forth filters for prospect search , lease recruiters describe in plain spoken language which kind of candidates they ’re research for in an applicant database ( for example , “ candidate with Python skills who we hire this year who did n’t come from referrals ” ) and have Ashby write the necessary filter logic and booleans for the search query .
Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
Ashby can also put in personalized , AI - generated copy into outreach emails by pull back on a business description and a nominee ’s résumé , and mechanically classify responses to the emails from candidates as “ interested ” or “ not interested . ” Beyond this , the platform can sum up consultation feedback collected throughout the enlisting process into debriefs for recruiter , with highlights cite the item-by-item audience feedback .
What if the AI makes mistakes , as AI is wo nt to do ? Encz note that the outputs can be pick off or adjusted — and that human review built into each workflow .
“ We see our opportunity in AI in line with our general focusing on product speed and quality , ” Encz said . “ Our braggy differentiation center around the quality and accessibility of talent squad data , the connectedness of workflows that comes from the organization being build on a single chopine versus multiple item solutions and the quality of our customer experience . ”
Since emerging from stealth in September 2022 , Ashby ’s customer base has grown to over 1,300 brands , include Quora , Ironclad , Vanta , Reddit and Lemonade . Revenue is up 6x ; Encz says that Ashby ’s making most of its money through a base subscription with add - on fees for more advanced scheduling and analytics tools .
Investors are pleased with the numbers , it seems . This week , Ashby close a $ 30 million Series C cycle run by Lachy Groom , with engagement from technical school entrepreneur Elad Gil , F - Prime and Y Combinator — bringing Ashby ’s total raised to $ 70 million .
Encz describe the Series C as a “ solid up cycle ” from the Series B.
“ We ’ve seen very strong growth in the last two age and are seeing increasing growth rates across both startups and initiative customer , making this an idealistic clip to double down on further product ontogeny and go - to - grocery store investments , ” he added . “ This extra funding provides us with many class of runway and a flock of selection . ”
One of those choice is enlargement . Ashby project to hire around 50 people by the end of the year , adding to its squad of ~100 based in its San Francisco HQ .
