Jack & Jill Secures $20M to Power AI-Powered Job Search
▼ Summary
– Modern job searching is overwhelmed by fake AI applicants and unresponsive listings, creating a confusing experience for both job seekers and employers.
– Jack & Jill is a new AI-powered recruitment platform that has secured $20 million in seed funding and already has 50,000 users in London.
– The platform uses conversational AI to interview applicants (“Jack”) and match them with roles, while helping employers (“Jill”) identify suitable candidates.
– Founder Matt Wilson believes AI chatbots can revolutionize hiring by providing a scalable alternative to traditional methods like LinkedIn and Indeed.
– The service aims to improve job matching efficiency and plans to expand into the US, taking a commission from successful hires.
Finding a new job can feel like navigating a digital maze. Endless scrolling through job boards often leads nowhere, while companies face a deluge of applications, many of which are irrelevant or even fake. This chaotic environment makes it difficult for genuine candidates to stand out and for employers to identify the right talent.
Matt Wilson, a London entrepreneur, points out the core issue. “Post a job on LinkedIn, and you could easily receive a thousand applications within hours,” he explains. “The problem is that the signal to noise ratio is so low that many companies don’t even review them all.”
His answer to this modern recruitment crisis is Jack & Jill, a platform that leverages conversational AI to rebuild the hiring process from scratch. The company has just secured $20 million in seed funding, with Creandum, a prominent European investor, leading the round. This financial boost will accelerate its US expansion plans. The service is already active in London, where it has attracted close to 50,000 users.
Wilson believes the time is right for a fundamental shift. “The way people find jobs hasn’t really evolved since LinkedIn and Indeed appeared two decades ago,” he states. With AI chatbots becoming commonplace in other business areas, he sees an opportunity to transform recruitment.
The platform operates on a dual model, reflected in its name. On one side, “Jack” assists job seekers. It begins with a 20-minute, AI-driven interview to build a detailed profile. Based on this, it presents a curated list of suitable roles. Jack also offers tools like mock interviews and professional coaching. The “Jill” component serves employers by creating comprehensive role profiles and surfacing candidates who are a strong match. The vision is for both job seekers and hiring managers to maintain active profiles, allowing the platform to facilitate connections seamlessly. Jack & Jill earns a standard commission on successful hires, and as it grows, Wilson aims to make it an essential tool for everyone involved.
While it may sound like a traditional recruiting service with an AI layer, Wilson argues that the focus on conversational chatbots is a game-changer. He sees it as more than a simple matching algorithm; it’s a scalable solution to replace the inefficient cycle of posting listings and sifting through resumes. This approach could redefine the core mechanics of how people are hired.
The use of AI for initial screening is gaining traction globally, especially in markets like China. Although the idea of an AI-led interview might seem impersonal, Wilson is confident that Jack & Jill’s method will lead to smarter, more effective job placements overall.
“The current system that connects people with companies is profoundly inefficient,” Wilson observes. “Billions of people could be in better jobs, and that’s a mission worth pursuing.”
(Source: TechCrunch)
