CHICAGO and WICHITA, Kan. — QuickHire, a career discovery platform working with service workers to find job and advancement opportunities, announces an oversubscribed $1.41 million financing round, led by MATH Venture Partners.
The funding will go towards technology investments and team expansion of this female, African American-run company, led by co-founders Deborah Gladney (34) and Angela Muhwezi-Hall (31).
“Nearly 110 million people in the U.S. work in the service industry, yet, employment technology innovations primarily cater to white-collar jobs,” says Gladney. Muhwezi-Hall adds, “Given the service worker shortages across the county, we are helping workers and companies connect not just for a job, but for a career.”
QuickHire is growing fast, accelerated by a prolonged tight labor market, especially in the service industry. Gladney and Muhwezi-Hall officially launched QuickHire in April 2021. Today, they have more than 60 paying clients (mid-to large-size service industry companies including Fuzzy’s Taco Shop and Homewood Suites by Hilton) as well as more than 11,000 job seekers.
Currently, QuickHire targets workers and businesses in the metro areas of Wichita and Kansas City. The company plans to expand across the Midwest and add skilled-labor verticals in 2022.
“We see the QuickHire team approaching the market differently – putting skilled trade and service workers first in geographies that have been traditionally overlooked,” says Dana Wright, managing partner at MATH Venture Partners. “The timing is right for this approach. We are excited to be part of this funding round, providing fuel for product innovation and market expansion,” adds Wright.
This round also includes participation from Sandalphon Capital (Chicago), KCRise Fund (Kansas City), October Minority Impact Fund (Kansas City), Tenzing Capital Ventures (Wichita), Accelerate Venture Partners (Wichita), Sixty8 Capital (Indianapolis), Ruthless for Good (New Orleans), Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund (D.C.) and ETF@JFFLabs(Boston). Gladney adds, “We spoke to a variety of investors during this oversubscribed round. This incredible syndicate represents who we are and where we want to go. From minority-focused funds to future of work expertise, this group truly aligns with our vision and strategies.”
This $1.41M in funding makes Gladney and Muhwezi-Hall only two of roughly 100 black women to raise more than $1M in venture funding as of December 2020 (according to ProjectDiane). “We are underserved founders serving underserved workers. The more barriers we can remove, the more opportunity we can unleash for deserving, hard-working people,” adds Muhwezi-Hall.
QuickHire, getquickhire.com, is free for job seekers. Business plans start at $199 a month. All tiered payment options include job postings, candidate screenings, scheduling features, candidate matching, talent management tools, and more. QuickHire is based in Wichita, Kansas.
