Leeds-based tech recruitment startup Know Someone has secured £500k from Innovate UK.
Navigating the notoriously competitive Innovate UK landscape, where success rates hover around three-five per cent and academics often dominate, Know Someone says its success underscores the potential of the digital platform and supports its focus on redefining recruitment and addressing the sector’s biggest challenges.
With support from Innovate UK, Know Someone will now accelerate its R&D efforts, further refining its approach and testing before an official launch to market later in the year.
The assessors from Innovate UK, commented: “This is an excellent application with a clear business need. The problems that this project is attempting to address are well detailed. The project plan is realistic and thorough – and the team have a strong skill mix.
“The commercialisation opportunities are well understood and exploited, and the project team clearly understand the impact of their innovation outside of the project.”
Alexander Isherwood, chief technology officer, said: “Having led the application process for this funding, I am immensely proud of what we have achieved. This funding is not just a financial boost, it’s a validation of our innovative approach to tackling the challenges in the UK recruitment sector.”
Geoff Shepherd, Yorkshire technology entrepreneur and CEO of Know Someone, added: “Know Someone is in a terrific place. For our stage of development, we now have sufficient funding to take us to the next level. We’re building an amazing product and team. We’re deeply grateful to Innovate UK for its support.”
Know Someone is a digital platform that “makes work work for everyone.” Encouraging job referrals between prospective candidates and companies, it provides an opportunity for third parties to make recommendations. When a role is successfully filled, the person responsible for the lead receives a fee.
