Manchester-based HR technology startup urfuture has successfully secured £1.7 million in a seed funding round led by River Capital. The company aims to overhaul the entry-level hiring process by replacing the traditional CV with a modern, data-driven platform. This investment will fuel its mission to combat rising youth unemployment and create fairer opportunities for the next generation of talent.
Addressing a Broken System
The UK is facing a significant challenge with nearly one million young people not in education, employment, or training. This issue is compounded by the rise of AI-generated CVs, which inundates employers with a high volume of generic applications. Consequently, the existing infrastructure connecting education to employment is proving increasingly ineffective for both candidates and companies.
In response, urfuture is building a new hiring system from the ground up, founded by Tom Keighley, Jayel Williams, and Holly Hobbs. Their platform combines a social-first distribution engine aimed at Gen Z with a proprietary behavioural science matching algorithm. This innovative approach enables employers to identify more motivated, diverse candidates while significantly reducing hiring bias.
Early Success and Market Adoption
Since its launch in late 2023, the platform has demonstrated remarkable traction and rapid growth within the UK market. It has achieved over 50,000 downloads and generated more than 160 million views across social media channels. This engagement has allowed urfuture to collect 2.4 million behavioural data points, creating a powerful dataset for entry-level hiring.
Prominent organisations, including Tesco, British Airways, and West Midlands Police, are already leveraging the platform to attract and assess early-career talent. The technology has shown tangible results, with one partner reporting a dramatic increase in diverse applicants from 8% to 47%. These outcomes validate the platform's ability to deliver on its promise of fairer and more effective hiring.
Strategic Investment for Future Growth
The £1.7 million investment was led by River Capital, with participation from SyndicateRoom Access Fund, Manchester Angels, and other specialist investors. David Walters, Investment Director at River Capital, praised urfuture for providing a scalable solution to a pressing social challenge. He highlighted the platform's potential to reshape how early-career talent is discovered and developed in the UK.
This new capital will be strategically deployed to accelerate product development and expand the company's operational capacity. Key initiatives include launching a white-label behavioural profiling and screening tool designed to reduce manual work for employers. The company also plans to grow its sales, marketing, and engineering teams to support its expansion.
A significant part of the growth strategy involves launching a self-serve product tailored for small and medium-sized businesses. This move will democratise access to their advanced hiring tools, extending the platform's reach beyond its initial large enterprise clients. It positions urfuture to serve a much broader segment of the UK's employment market.
With this substantial seed funding, urfuture is well-positioned to scale its innovative solution and address critical flaws in the entry-level job market. CEO Tom Keighley's vision is for the company to become the definitive "front door to employment" for the next generation. The investment marks a significant step toward creating a more equitable and efficient bridge between young talent and meaningful career opportunities.