Rotterdam-based HRtech startup, Equalture picks €2.5 million led by Pieter Schoen’s Shoe Investments

Equalture, an HRTech startup with offices in Rotterdam, has raised €2.5 million, with Pieter Schoen’s Shoe Investments serving as the lead investor.

Additionally investing in the round were two angel investors, 4impact, and existing backers InnovationQuarter Capital, reports mtsprout.nl.

The Dutch business claims it will utilize the money to improve its platform and neuroscientific video games.

The statement follows a €2.75 million fundraising effort in February 2022 by around a year.

According to Charlotte Melkert, co-founder of Equalture:

“We raised this funding exclusively and entirely to improve our effectiveness.”

Charlotte and Fleur Melkert, twin sisters, saw several biases in the recruiting process before having their “eureka” moment for Equalture. The founders contend that prospective employers unfairly evaluate applicants primarily on their looks, résumé, and CV rather than their character, interests, and abilities.

BCG research shows that teams with a diversity of backgrounds produce 19% more income. By getting to know candidates beyond what is on their resumes, Equalture aims to provide all applicants an equal chance to get recruited.

The Dutch platform achieves this by creating a library of gamified exams with scientific validation, allowing businesses to learn more about the cognitive abilities, cultural preferences, and behaviors of both their workers and prospects.

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At the beginning of the employment process, candidates are required to complete these gamified evaluations, which take about 15 minutes to complete. This ensures that the first impression is based on science rather than intuition.

Equalture’s platform is used by hundreds of businesses, and Melkerts also uses its software to hire staff.

According to Fleur Melkert of mtsprout.nl:

“More than 70% of millennials and members of Generation Z no longer want to work for an organization that doesn’t aggressively promote equality, diversity, and inclusion.”

Fleur further added:

“We are also dealing with a severe talent scarcity and at the same time, many new occupations as a result of technological advancements. These two trends both necessitate looking more at the potential of applicants and less at the CV.”

Image Credit: Equalture