UK-based Arbolus announced a USD $6m Series A round of venture capital for its expert advisory marketplace, bringing its total raised to $9.3 million. Expert advisory networks like Arbolus, GLG, and Guidepoint have been leveraged for years as part of market research and due diligence by corporates and investors. These expert research firms have a fairly consistent model. They match the expert to their customer for a one-hour call. Not exactly worktech.
The interesting thing about the Arbolus announcement is that it positions itself as a “professional networking platform” leveraging an AI matching engine to put advisors and Arbolus customers together. Experts create a profile on the site and Arbolus customers source connections and schedule interviews/one-hour calls via the platform. Independent interviews are also transcribed for use by Arbolus customers on myriad topics.
Arbolus has basically turned the research advisory network into a strategic advisory job board marketplace. Is that a good thing? WorkTech Founder George LaRocque
Source: Arbolus raises $6M from Fuel Ventures and Plug and Play to apply ML to expert knowledge | TechCrunch
Belgium-based Ambassify raised a USD $2.4 million Seed Round of VC for its employee brand advocacy app. The app leverages polls and surveys to engage employees and motivate them to share via social channels. Leveraging employee voices for amplification of the brand is a valuable approach, especially in employer branding and recruitment marketing. However, Ambassify’s current messaging focused on “employee engagement” might confuse the buyer more than engage them.
“Employees often are the most underrated marketing resource within a company. We offer employers an efficient way to tap into the marketing potential of their employees.”from Ambassify’s press release
Source: Press Release – Ambassify raises €2 million to reinvent employee engagement
Fetcher announced a $6.5 million Series A round of venture capital for its candidate sourcing app. This brings its total raised to $12 million.
Fetcher automates the searching and sourcing of job candidates as well as the initial communication outreach. Fetcher reports that its platform integrates with email, calendars, and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Its one-click Chrome extension allows recruiters to manually source directly on LinkedIn, filtering qualified prospective candidates into automated email outreach sequences for recruiting engagement. Its analytics allows companies to track top-of-funnel performance metrics at the individual and team levels, as well as at the position and company levels.
Source: Fetcher raises $6.5M to automate parts of the recruiting process