Alexander Marktl’s Post

What better time to announce Draftboard’s $4.1M funding round than under the shadow of attack drones and cruise missiles? 🤣 About 2 years ago I was sitting on my couch and had an idea to completely disrupt how companies hire. I sat on it for almost 6 months. Because I was afraid I’d actually have to go build it. Like lots of other people, I kept a list of startup ideas, even though I had zero desire to be a founder. When I consulted that list after leaving IAC, I confirmed what I thought: they all sucked. But when this new idea hit, it was different. Finally, after months of hesitating, I decided to explore it, however tentatively. I fleshed out the vision & opportunity in a 3-page essay - I needed to test if the logic withstood the rigor of actually writing it out. I asked a close friend (Shlomo Dalezman) about the technical feasibility of it. I sketched dozens of wireframes on a whiteboard. I found a great designer in South Africa to build out some super simple mockups and put together a 13-page deck. And then it was go time. 18 months later we’ve got thousands of scouts referring candidates. We’ve had 70 companies list their roles. We’ve had almost $1M in referral bonuses posted. And we’re just getting started. But I wouldn’t be here with my incredible investors, and that’s why I’m thrilled to announce this round of funding. Taylor Greene knew within ten seconds that Twelve Below was all-in. Amanda Herson met me for coffee on a brisk fall day and I knew she & Founder Collective would be an incredible asset. David Stark & Ground Up Ventures are just as incredible as partners as I knew they would be, and deserve serious credit for getting me to - for the first time - seriously consider taking the founder leap. And Nico Berardi and Antonio Osio at ANIMO Ventures are avid - and active - supporters every day. Between them and the dozens of angels and friends & family, I and my amazing team count ourselves incredibly fortunate to get to build this vision out with all their support. The journey is long and arduous, but the goal is worth it. Onwards and upwards. Draftboard team: Steven Sosnick Dzmitry Shokel Dzmitry Shavel Estee Rebibo Mikalai Rudak Siarhei Rudak Yasmin Levin Sam Goldberg Alexey Kibrik #hiring #techcrunch #funding

We are excited to announce our lead investment in Draftboard, a recruitment marketplace for referral-based hiring. The premise of the platform is simple. More than 80% of companies offer referral bonuses for new hires, but they limit those bonuses only to their own employees. Draftboard wants to change that: employers can post their referral bonuses publicly for the world to see; any user can then join the platform as a ‘scout’ and refer quality candidates within their network in exchange for a referral bonus upon a successful hire. We think it is a win-win-win situation: companies can tap into a completely new pool of talent; scouts can act as “headhunters” by monetizing their network of friends and family for real rewards; and job-seekers can more easily find new employment opportunities. At Twelve Below, our belief is that recruiting, at its core, is about people, networks, and trust. That’s the premise behind Draftboard, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with Zach Roseman, his team and our friends at ANIMO Ventures, Founder Collective and GroundUp as the company sets out to democratize recruiting for everyone.

🎉 We're thrilled to announce a major milestone for Draftboard! 🚀 We've raised our Seed Round to fuel our mission of revolutionizing the hiring process. We couldn't be more excited about this next chapter and are grateful for your continued support! 🌟 Read all about it in our feature on TechCrunch below #hiring #hr #recruitment

I recently found an insightful read by Cassidy Williams that’s essential for anyone on the job hunt, particularly if you’re targeting startups. With the job market being so competitive, small teams often need to implement strategies to manage the flood of applications. Even minor details, like functional LinkedIn links and well-thought-out responses, can significantly impact your chances. It may seem tedious, but putting extra effort into your application truly makes a difference. Give this article a read and elevate your application game! https://lnkd.in/d5ha8C8c

Every day, I write a lot of cold emails and LinkedIn messages to acquire new clients for Hiretal. Some of them say yes Some of them say no. There's this founder who gave me a detailed explanation of his company situation  on why it isn't the right time to reach out to him. I was surprised he took a lot of time to draft the reply and send it over. I asked him what made him write the response, and he said this: "We are a start up too - going through the same challenges of additional revenue - i have to treat you the same way, i would like to be treated by prospects." It reminded me of a very important lesson by my teacher, GMCKS: 'Treat others as you want to be treated I receive a lot of NO's everyday, but this NO is truly special as it made me feel 10x better As a startup founder, did any of your prospect say NO and you felt special? Comment down

As hiring continues to be difficult and startups continue to try to get creative on hiring, but still try avoid paying a dedicated recruiter or agency I've started to see an increase in referral bonuses offered, both internal and external. Before you keep increasing the rate of your referral, take a look at what Moz found when they started offering a $12k referral bonus (spoiler alert, it didn't work). At the end of the day, a third party recruiter may feel like a sunk cost, but the reality is that finding qualified recruiting partners will provide a better quality candidate, a higher close/acceptance rate, and save your hiring teams time (which is also money). If you have a partner who isn't doing those things above. Let's chat. If you're interested in seeing a different approach to headhunting. Let's chat. Did I mention that here at Mad World Recruiting we actually have a fee structure built specifically for startups? Let's chat Kory(at)MadWorldRecruiting.com or my dms are open. https://lnkd.in/gpU8BJSe

Are you a Startup or Small Business thinking about investing in Recruiting Software? 🤔 Find out why more and more companies are making this investment and how Frankie can help. #RecruitmentSoftware #Startup #TryFrankie

Identify key roles and skills needed for your startup. This ensures you attract candidates who are the right fit and can contribute effectively. 🧩💼 #RecruitmentStrategy #StartupSuccess https://lnkd.in/dg7HnuvT

There should be a startup which scrutinizes resumes this way (Assuming people give the most honest answer) - 1. What work/skill you are the best at? 2. What work you actually want to do? The technology then does the match making and the rest will be history. ✔ A Happy Candidate ✔ A Happy company ✔ A Happy HR ✔ Happy Faces all around #hiringidea #startup #idealcandidate

What are your thoughts on receiving #creativeCVs? 🔖 Sometimes they can showcase your skills and help you stand out from the crowd, but they don't work for everyone. Check out Lauren Richardson's thoughts on them in this piece on Startups 👇 https://lnkd.in/efU_Yf6m #Creativity #DigitalPR #Throwback #Recruitment