LAUNCH

LAUNCH is a California-based organization that supports entrepreneurs and fosters innovation within the technology sector. Established in 2010, it encompasses multiple initiatives, including the LAUNCH Fund, which focuses on early-stage investments in technology-related companies. Additionally, LAUNCH operates an incubator designed to nurture startup development. Its flagship event, the LAUNCH Festival, attracts over 12,000 participants, including venture capitalists, angel investors, founders, and industry professionals, serving as a premier platform for startups to showcase their innovations. The organization also produces the podcast "This Week in Startups," which discusses trends and insights in the startup ecosystem. Through its various endeavors, LAUNCH aims to empower founders and promote the growth of emerging companies.

Jason Calacanis

Founder and CEO

Ashley Whitehurst

Managing Director

Past deals in Recruiting

Rapha

Funding Round in 2024
Rapha is a technology company that operates a recruiting platform designed to enhance the hiring process for startups. It leverages artificial intelligence and audio responses from applicants to assess both cultural fit and hard skills, thereby enabling companies to efficiently qualify candidates early in the process without the need for initial phone screens. This streamlined approach benefits founders, recruiters, and hiring managers alike, helping them identify suitable talent more effectively.

Meratas

Seed Round in 2022
Meratas Inc. is an Income Share Agreement (ISA) development company that provides a comprehensive platform for educational institutions and skills training programs to create and manage customized ISA offerings. The company's mission is to democratize access to education by facilitating a marketplace where students can easily find ISA resources and apply to participating schools. This platform not only helps students secure financing options but also enables schools to boost enrollment through tailored ISA programs. Additionally, Meratas connects employers to this marketplace, allowing them to identify job market needs and recruit students from institutions that address specific skills gaps. Overall, Meratas aims to make education more affordable and accessible while enhancing the alignment between education and employment opportunities.

HeyHire

Convertible Note in 2022
HeyHire is a local talent-hiring platform designed to streamline the hiring process for businesses. The company offers a range of features, including custom QR-code job posters that facilitate easy applications from qualified local candidates. Its platform includes hiring form templates, calendar integrations, and an SMS conversations inbox, allowing hiring managers to communicate efficiently with candidates. Additionally, HeyHire provides shareable QR codes and enables unlimited job postings for a single location, enhancing the overall management of recruitment efforts. Through its innovative approach, HeyHire aims to modernize how businesses attract and hire local talent.

micro1

Pre Seed Round in 2022
micro1 develops an artificial intelligence platform for talent assessment and recruitment. The platform builds models to predict talent performance, automates candidate evaluation, and enables fair and unbiased vetting through tailored, skill-relevant questions. It provides a conversational interview experience that helps organizations find and onboard suitable talent efficiently while reducing operational complexities.

SkillBank

Pre Seed Round in 2022
SkillBank is an on-demand training platform designed specifically for entry-level marketers, aiming to bridge the gap between aspiration and opportunity in the marketing field. The company offers specialized online marketing education services, featuring live classes and real-time interactions that enhance the learning experience. In addition to theoretical knowledge, SkillBank emphasizes practical skills through project work and provides support in securing job interviews and offer letters via partnerships with hiring networks. This focused approach enables individuals to develop the necessary competencies to successfully launch their careers in marketing.

Rolebot

Venture Round in 2022
Rolebot is a recruitment technology company that uses AI algorithms to source diverse and qualified professionals. Its platform provides recommended talent based on selected profiles, aiming to streamline hiring processes and reduce unconscious bias.

GMTM

Pre Seed Round in 2021
GMTM is a web and mobile platform that connects athletes with colleges, brands, camps, and other stakeholders to enhance exposure and opportunity. The service offers athlete discovery and development tools, enabling organizations to identify new talent, help athletes advance their skills through coaching, and build communities around their brands. The platform supports interactions among athletes, fans, and programs, and provides data and outreach tools to increase reach and engagement for coaches, sports clubs, and schools. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Winter Park, Florida, GMTM aims to streamline talent identification, exposure, and recruitment across youth, amateur, and collegiate sports.

Meratas

Seed Round in 2021
Meratas Inc. is an Income Share Agreement (ISA) development company that provides a comprehensive platform for educational institutions and skills training programs to create and manage customized ISA offerings. The company's mission is to democratize access to education by facilitating a marketplace where students can easily find ISA resources and apply to participating schools. This platform not only helps students secure financing options but also enables schools to boost enrollment through tailored ISA programs. Additionally, Meratas connects employers to this marketplace, allowing them to identify job market needs and recruit students from institutions that address specific skills gaps. Overall, Meratas aims to make education more affordable and accessible while enhancing the alignment between education and employment opportunities.

Orapa

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Orapa is a platform that connects startups and agencies with sales reps. They schedule sales calls with your dream clients, and you only pay for qualified meetings on your calendar. A gig-economy for sales talent.

SkillBank

Pre Seed Round in 2020
SkillBank is an on-demand training platform designed specifically for entry-level marketers, aiming to bridge the gap between aspiration and opportunity in the marketing field. The company offers specialized online marketing education services, featuring live classes and real-time interactions that enhance the learning experience. In addition to theoretical knowledge, SkillBank emphasizes practical skills through project work and provides support in securing job interviews and offer letters via partnerships with hiring networks. This focused approach enables individuals to develop the necessary competencies to successfully launch their careers in marketing.

Rolebot

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Rolebot is a recruitment technology company that uses AI algorithms to source diverse and qualified professionals. Its platform provides recommended talent based on selected profiles, aiming to streamline hiring processes and reduce unconscious bias.

GMTM

Pre Seed Round in 2020
GMTM is a web and mobile platform that connects athletes with colleges, brands, camps, and other stakeholders to enhance exposure and opportunity. The service offers athlete discovery and development tools, enabling organizations to identify new talent, help athletes advance their skills through coaching, and build communities around their brands. The platform supports interactions among athletes, fans, and programs, and provides data and outreach tools to increase reach and engagement for coaches, sports clubs, and schools. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Winter Park, Florida, GMTM aims to streamline talent identification, exposure, and recruitment across youth, amateur, and collegiate sports.

extern

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Extern is a company that has pioneered the concept of remote Externships, offering an innovative platform that facilitates real work experiences for students. By partnering with various organizations, Extern creates a supply of these work experiences, making them accessible to individuals eager to develop their careers. The platform enables companies to seamlessly manage and implement Externships, allowing employees to collaborate with students on projects while enhancing their employer branding through meaningful engagement. Extern aims to democratize access to professional experiences, regardless of background or socioeconomic status, and envisions a future where work experience serves as a vital form of education. The company has garnered the trust of numerous prestigious brands, positioning itself as a key player in reshaping work, education, and credentialing for upcoming generations.

Solo Trucking

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Solo Trucking is a company that operates in the logistics, recruiting, and transportation industries. The company provides a dispatch service that assists solo drivers in choosing from 500k loads available daily. Their operations team handles all other aspects of the process. In addition to this, Solo Trucking also offers insurance products to carriers. The company is built for owner-operators, with drivers leasing to Solo. They also have a presence in the freight forwarding sector, offering services to transport companies.

Rolebot

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Rolebot is a recruitment technology company that uses AI algorithms to source diverse and qualified professionals. Its platform provides recommended talent based on selected profiles, aiming to streamline hiring processes and reduce unconscious bias.

Thalamus

Venture Round in 2019
Thalamus is a digital platform streamlining residency and fellowship applicant interviews in graduate medical education. It facilitates self-scheduling for applicants, reducing administrative burden on program coordinators, while enhancing communication and optimizing recruitment.

GMTM

Pre Seed Round in 2019
GMTM is a web and mobile platform that connects athletes with colleges, brands, camps, and other stakeholders to enhance exposure and opportunity. The service offers athlete discovery and development tools, enabling organizations to identify new talent, help athletes advance their skills through coaching, and build communities around their brands. The platform supports interactions among athletes, fans, and programs, and provides data and outreach tools to increase reach and engagement for coaches, sports clubs, and schools. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Winter Park, Florida, GMTM aims to streamline talent identification, exposure, and recruitment across youth, amateur, and collegiate sports.

meaZr

Seed Round in 2017
meaZr (read: measure) is an AI driven HR Technology platform for online Talent Measurement powered with a Global Online Community of Talent Measurement Experts (meaZrmaticians), which transforms recruiters to the most loved SuperHeroes of Talent Measurement.

TutorSync

Pre Seed Round in 2016
TutorSync is a one-on-one educational tutoring platform that provides in-home and online tutoring services. It connects students with pre-verified peer tutors from local high schools and colleges, enabling personalized instruction and flexible scheduling. The platform tracks student progress with post-session reports to keep parents informed and ensure visibility into improvements. It also offers qualified tutors employment opportunities and supports their professional development. By combining convenient delivery with progress reporting, TutorSync aims to make tutoring accessible, transparent, and effective for families seeking targeted academic support.

Betagig

Seed Round in 2016
Betagig Inc. is a Los Angeles-based company that has developed a platform designed to enhance the job shadowing process, primarily for students, recent graduates, and individuals considering career changes. Established in 2016, the platform allows users to explore job opportunities and gain firsthand insights into various roles, which can lead to better job fit and career satisfaction. For employers, Betagig offers tools to address hiring challenges, such as improving diversity and reducing turnover rates. By enabling potential candidates to experience a day in the life of a job, the platform fosters a more informed hiring process, facilitating mutual compatibility between candidates and companies. This innovative approach aims to empower job seekers to take charge of their career paths while helping organizations attract high-quality talent.

Jibe

Convertible Note in 2016
Jibe Inc. is a provider of cloud-based recruiting technology solutions designed to assist talent acquisition teams in identifying, attracting, and engaging candidates globally. Founded in 2009 and based in New York, the company offers the Jibe Recruiting Cloud, a software-as-a-service platform that streamlines the hiring process. This platform features various applications, including tools for applying to jobs from multiple devices, enhancing employee referrals, and distributing job postings across various channels. Jibe's solutions cater to the needs of Fortune 500 companies, enabling them to optimize candidate experiences and leverage social networks for recruitment. With strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as Google and LinkedIn, Jibe continues to innovate within the talent acquisition space. It operates as a subsidiary of iCIMS, Inc. since 2019.

Forge

Seed Round in 2016
Forge Technologies, Inc. is a workforce management software company that specializes in talent sharing and flexible scheduling for hourly employees. Established in 2015 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Forge provides businesses with tools to hire, schedule, and retain their workforce across various sectors, including retail, hospitality, logistics, and healthcare. The platform allows employers to connect with candidates, conduct background checks, and monitor employee performance through daily feedback and attendance tracking. Additionally, it offers features for rewarding high-performing employees. As of February 2020, Forge operates as a subsidiary of WorkJam, Inc.

Interviewed

Seed Round in 2015
Interviewed is a company that specializes in developing an employee assessment tool aimed at improving the hiring process for employers. By utilizing job simulations, Interviewed provides candidates with a realistic "day-in-the-life" experience of the roles they are applying for. This innovative approach allows hiring managers to observe candidates in action as they demonstrate their skills in real-world scenarios, such as managing simulated customer interactions while using a customer relationship management system. The assessments evaluate critical competencies including speed, accuracy, communication abilities, technical skills, adaptability, multitasking, and emotional intelligence. By streamlining the evaluation process, Interviewed enables employers to select the most suitable candidates efficiently and fairly, enhancing the overall quality of hiring while reducing associated costs.

BetterCompany

Series A in 2015
At BetterCompany, it is our mission to help companies connect with best candidates at the best time, when they're looking! We use a blend of art and science to match candidates to roles and companies and we understand that timing is everything.

BetterCompany

Seed Round in 2014
At BetterCompany, it is our mission to help companies connect with best candidates at the best time, when they're looking! We use a blend of art and science to match candidates to roles and companies and we understand that timing is everything.

Burnt

Burnt is a next-generation talent solution fueled by candidates and employers burnt out by outdated recruiting methods
Spot something off? Help us improve by flagging any incorrect or outdated information. Just email us at support@teaserclub.com. Your feedback is most welcome.