Milan-based Skillvue, which develops a platform that helps companies objectively assess and match the skills of candidates and employees for recruitment, development, and internal mobility, has secured €2.5 million in a pre-seed round to expand its operations in Italy. The Italian Founders Fund and 14Peaks led the investment, with participation from Kfaund, Orbita Verticale, and Ithaca 3.
- Founded in 2021 by Nicolò Mazzocchi and Simone Patera, Skillvue offers an AI-driven platform for asynchronous interviews that evaluates candidates' skills and motivation. The software helps companies identify top talent and accurately predict job performance, particularly for junior or public-facing roles.
- Following the recruitment process, Skillvue assists HR departments in analyzing and managing their workforce's talents on a large scale, offering objective data for more informed decisions.
- According to the startup, this improves talent placement by 107% compared to traditional methods, boosts retention of high performers, and better aligns career paths and training with actual needs, addressing a major issue for 73% of employees.
- Skillvue employs a team of 13 and serves notable clients, including French retail giant Carrefour, Credem, and Acquedotto Pugliese.
Details of the deal
- The fresh funding round was led by the Italian Founders Fund (IFF), a Milan-based venture capital firm, and 14Peaks Capital, a Zug-based VC that invests in B2B SaaS companies in Europe and the US.
- The round also included participation from Kfund, a venture capital firm managing €500 million in assets that supports startups in Southern Europe and LATAM, as well as Rome-based Orbita Verticale, Ithaca 3, and several angel investors.
"We can't wait to support Skillvue in in transforming skills assessment through AI, revolutionizing the way both candidates and employees are evaluated," Kfund's team, stated in a press release.
- With the capital raised, Skillvue plans to expand its team, particularly in AI, grow its operations in Italy, enter international markets using experience with clients like Carrefour, and enhance its technology for better recruitment, internal hiring, and talent development.
"We are happy about this round because the capital injection will allow us to strengthen our team with strategic figures especially in the AI area, to expand our business on the Italian market, to approach international markets thanks to the experience acquired with clients such as Carrefour," CEO and Co-founder of Skillvue, Nicolò Mazzocchi, commented.
