Apploi, a platform that simplifies the hiring process for service-oriented businesses, announced Thursday they raised $5.2 million in funding led by Silicon Valley-based Defy Partners.
The industries the New York-based company serves — hospitality, retail and healthcare — are unique in that they usually don’t require traditional resumes and, most of the time, candidates are applying on a mobile device. Also, the individuals making the hiring decisions are often juggling countless other day-to-day tasks in addition to scanning through hundreds or even thousands of applications at a time. Apploi was created with all of this in mind.
“These companies need something that streamlines the process, from posting the job, to scheduling interviews, to onboarding,” Apploi CEO Adam Lewis told Built In. “We have created something that is incredibly easy to use and is impactful.”
Apploi was launched in 2013 as a job market platform similar to Indeed. However, the company decided to pivot to a SaaS platform created for high-volume industries in 2017 and relaunched in 2018.
Companies simply post their jobs and locations on Apploi’s site, then Apploi distributes these jobs across the internet to other recruiting sites like ZipRecruiter and LinkedIn. Candidates are then taken to the Apploi site where they can apply for the job. Going forward, Apploi manages communication, interview scheduling, onboarding and everything in between.
Going forward, Lewis says the company is going to “double down” on the healthcare industry with the help of their new board member and funding contributor Ben Wolin, the former CEO and founder of Everyday Health.
“The industry is a unique one, with specific needs in things like compliance and scheduling, and the workforce is huge,” Lewis said. “We haven’t seen the innovation needed to meet these needs yet, so we have the opportunity to build something more impactful that aligns well with the industry.”
Other investors include Joseph Essas, the CTO of OpenTable, and Mark Ghermezian, whose businesses include Apploi clients like the Mall of America and American Dream. Ghermezian has also been brought in as an advisor, which, Lewis says, will help the company expand further into the retail industry. Neil Sequeira, Defy Partners’ managing director, was also appointed as Apploi’s board advisor.
