Recruitment specialist secures further funding to drive growth

Hiring Hub, the Manchester-based recruitment agency marketplace has raised a further £725,000 to develop its platform, continue scaling its team, and fuel sales and marketing activity.

The business helps employers find and work with specialist recruitment agencies to fill jobs faster at a fixed cost.

Ranked among the UK’s top 10 recruitment companies by independent review site Trustpilot, Hiring Hub is used by more than 500 employers.

The business grew active employer users 102% and active jobs 83% last year following a £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’s drive to democratise the UK’s recruitment agency market.

It aims to give employers an alternative to the big recruitment agency brands by making it easier for them to work with smaller, specialist recruiters, who Hiring Hub believes respond faster and deliver a better quality of service over the big firms.

“The business has made real progress over the last 18 months,” said Hiring Hub chief executive Simon Swan.

“It’s fantastic to have investors on board that back our vision of supporting the UK’s 16,000+ independent recruitment agencies, while using technology to provide transparency, choice and speed – in doing so enhancing the customer experience – in what is a £35bn domestic market.”

James Codling, managing director of VentureFounders, said: “We 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.”

Employers post jobs on Hiring Hub’s 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’s 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 more than £120,000 a year.

Peter Lusty, chief executive of Manchester Tech Trust, said: “Manchester 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.”

Gavin Bell, investment manager at Maven Capital, said: “Hiring 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.”