Firstwork, a company founded in 2024 by Vardhan Kapoor, has secured $15 million in a Series A funding round. The investment was led by Earlybird Venture Capital, with participation from Legion VC, Deel Ventures, Gradient, Y Combinator, SOMA Capital, 468 Capital, and Houghton Street Ventures. This latest round brings the startup's total funding to $20 million.
The company plans to use the capital to establish its headquarters in London, citing significant demand from the European market. Firstwork provides autonomous AI agents designed to automate the onboarding process for frontline employees. The platform integrates with existing HR, payroll, and screening software to manage compliance and candidate communication from application to the first shift.
The technology aims to address the high dropout rate of candidates during the period between receiving a job offer and starting work. According to Earlybird general partner Tim Rehder, the platform performs millions of actions monthly, reducing the time required to clear a worker from days to minutes. The startup is currently part of the Y Combinator Summer 2024 cohort.
The broader HR technology market is projected to reach $47.5 billion in 2026 and $77.7 billion by 2031. Firstwork collaborates with employer-of-record firms, including Deel, which is both a customer and an investor. The company faces the challenge of proving its efficiency claims to large-scale employers in sectors such as logistics and healthcare.
