Recruiter.com Group, Inc. (OTCQB:RCRT) revealed that it has acquired Scouted.io, a venture capital-backed tech startup focused on unlocking human potential by developing deep insights into candidates using video screening and AI-based scoring algorithms.
The group said the purchase was successfully closed on January 31, 2021, through an asset purchase agreement, and was paid for primarily in restricted common stock.
"Using video and deep candidate profiling, Scouted understands more about its talent ecosystem than any other system that I have encountered," said Evan Sohn, CEO of Recruiter.com in a statement. "We are excited to add Scouted's exceptional video-based candidate experience to our recruiting process and help small and large employers connect with Scouted's incredible talent pool of high-potential early- and mid-career professionals."
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Scouted's CEO and co-founder, Jacqueline Loeb, a Bridgewater Associates alum, joins Recruiter.com as senior vice president.
She commented: "From day one, Scouted has been about this core concept: people are more than their resumes. With the support of our venture capital investors, we built an AI and video-enabled hiring solution that helps companies use data to hire the right talent more effectively, significantly decreasing time-to-hire, regardless of how candidates look on paper. By joining Recruiter.com, we gain a global platform to bring our proprietary technology and unparalleled candidate experience to an even broader spectrum of people and companies."
The acquisition continues Recruiter.com's trajectory toward becoming a top-of-mind hiring solution. Last month, the company launched its video platform that flips the hiring model to be much like current online dating sites, where the user can see a short video of the candidate before delving into the nuances of their background and credentials, saving hiring managers countless hours of traditional resume reviewing and telephone screening.
Scouted.io and its innovative predictive-matching algorithm will be critical components of Recruiter.com's growth plan. The acquisition unlocks a prestigious client roster — spanning top global hedge funds, venture capital firms, and tech giants — to accelerate revenue opportunities.
Furthermore, Scouted pairs an engaged user base of early- and mid-career professionals with a powerful data set of proprietary metrics and analytics. The company's specialized database contains hundreds of thousands of talented professionals, many of whom identify as first-generation college graduates, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and LGBTQ+. These professionals rely on Scouted's virtual interview platform to go beyond their resumes and present their stories' full breadth.
At present, high-achieving candidates looking for their next great job opportunities comprise nearly one-third of the makeup of Recruiter.com's site traffic. Until now, there has been limited opportunity to capitalize on this potential revenue source. The group said the Scouted candidate-onboarding experience provides top talent with a streamlined, data-driven process that creates an emotional attachment, resulting in high user engagement and retention.
Beyond the financial value of expediting the sourcing-to-hire timeline, Scouted's video platform also allows for greater attention to diversity in the hiring process, Recruiter.com said, as it tears down barriers between historically underrepresented candidate groups and top employers by dramatically expanding the types of candidate profiles visible to and reviewed by hiring managers.
"With Scouted's automated, video and data-forward approach to candidate onboarding, Recruiter.com can provide a turnkey experience that allows clients to tap more rapidly and more accurately into richly diverse talent pools," Sohn added. "In preparation of the closing, Scouted completed the integration with our Video platform, allowing us to focus immediately on driving growth and opportunities."
Recruiter.com is a hiring platform for the world's largest network of small and independent recruiters. It empowers businesses to recruit specialized talent faster with virtual teams of recruiters and AI job-matching technology.
Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com