Resume and recruitment platform Hellohive seeks to help eliminate hiring bias by creating a virtual community that includes employers and those looking for a new role.

The company is part of an increasing number of resume and skill apps that are trying to combat discrimination in the hiring process. Hellohive gives candidates from underrepresented or socially marginalized backgrounds the opportunities to connect with employers they might have otherwise not had a chance to meet. It also gives employers the opportunity to look at candidates for skills beyond where they went to school or where they once worked, allowing for a more holistic approach to hiring that can in turn diversify a workforce.

Hellohive hosts virtual networking programs between companies and candidates on the app, with clients including Goldman Sachs, American Express, and Morgan Stanley. The company announced on Thursday a $3.4 million Series A round, led by the Tisch Family, to help it achieve its mission.

Byron Slosar, who founded the company in 2019, said he created the app after a year in undergraduate career services and recruiting. “I saw an opportunity for technology to employ candidates from all diverse backgrounds and experiences with an equitable opportunity to find success,” he told TechCrunch, adding that career success shouldn’t be defined by who you know or where you go to school. “We are committed to providing the same shot at success for anyone who’s willing to put in the work.”

Example of what a candidate’s profile looks like on the Hellohive app. Image Credits: Hellohive

He called fundraising “always challenging” but took the opportunity to meet new people and form new connections.

Hellohive’s holistic approach to hiring is important right now especially, as companies have been shifting away from DEI commitments.

The app offers coaching services to job candidates on formatting a resume that will attract employers to the platform. Candidates also complete a course model that prepares them for the job recruitment process. They then express interest in an employer on the app, and the hiring process formally kicks off.

“Hive’s technology unlocks a unique level of connectivity and understanding among all participants in the recruitment conversation and not only modernizes but humanizes the recruitment process for all involved,” said Dan Levin, who works with Tom Tisch at his family office.

The Pearl Fund and angel investors Ann Tenenbaum, Jeff Altman, and Rober Bell Wilkins also participated in the round.

Slosar said this latest round of funding will be used to expand the executive team, enhance Hellohive’s current technology, and reach new potential clients. The company has raised $9 million to date in funding.

“I’m excited to see the impact that an all-inclusive, ever-evolving, and self-identified approach to diversity will have on the world,” Slosar said.