HR-tech start-up SkillsCV raises €2 million

Rotterdam, Netherlands - The Rotterdam-based HR-tech start-up SkillsCV has raised €2 million from investors in its first round to promote equal opportunities through skills-based matching. The investment will be used to launch the app, integrate with governments, municipalities, schools and recruiters and to expand their team.

In addition to the initial investors, Intelligence Group and the founders of Westerduin Temporary Employment Agency, other investors include businesses in the employment mediation sector, tech entrepreneurs and the 4impact capital, a tech4good venture capital fund.

SkillsCV will play an essential role in the transition to a new labour market. The labour market of the future is about skills, not diplomas. Developing skills and matching people and jobs based on skills must take center stage  ̶  there are too many 'mismatches' currently.

SkillsCV is the first practical labour market application in the field of skills matching in relation to finding jobs and internships. All vacancies from employers and intermediaries are converted into a set of skills and educational programmes. Candidates' experiences are also converted into skills to create a personal SkillsCV. The personal SkillsCVs are then matched with all available vacancies in the Netherlands. Each CV is constructed in the same way, thus eliminating bias. All applications and matches are anonymous by default so that the match proceeds purely skills-based.

The technology is combined with various requirements that fit labour market issues similar to those of the Roaring Twenties, such as privacy first, flexibility, one-click application, candidate center stage and transparency. That, combined with access to all (side) jobs and internships in the Netherlands, should result in a widely accessible labour market with reduced bias and inequality for job seekers.

"We are very pleased with the considerable enthusiasm evident among investors for creating a fairer and more transparent labour market. Together with highly committed shareholders, this is our lottery ticket to make our dream come true", says Maarten Westerduin, CEO of SkillsCV.

Pauline Wink, partner at 4impact: "Investing in equal opportunities and inclusive employment are important investment themes for 4impact. The traditional way of selection based on background, education and experience is very limitative and creates unequal opportunities. SkillsCV is about change. We are very impressed by the experienced and entrepreneurial team, their vision, ambition and approach and look forward to our collaboration."

Launch

SkillsCV will have its soft launch in two regions in the Netherlands on 4 April together with 16 (medium) sized employment agencies, which together account for about 1 out of 7 vacancies in the Netherlands. After the summer, the national launch will take place, with SkillsCV aiming to reach half a million users within a year. Apart from employment mediators, SkillsCV also focuses on governments, educational institutions (Regional Training Centres and UAS) and municipalities.

By unlocking all jobs, internships, side jobs and voluntary work in the Netherlands in an equal and easy way, every job/side-job seeker is given an equal starting point on the labour market. Skills are the language used for matching, resulting in the users finding 'a job that is exactly what they are'.

www.skillscv.nl

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