Jopwell connects people of color with recruiters and has facilitated tens of thousands of connections with companies such as Lyft, American Express, Conde Nast and Pinterest. The company reports an increase in offers extended since 2015 but does not disclose exact offer counts. Founded by Porter Braswell and Ryan Williams, Jopwell has primarily focused on Fortune 1000 companies but has recently seen demand from younger companies. The startup plans to scale, take on more companies, and build out services that meet smaller organizations where they are. Jopwell raised a $7.5 million Series A led by Cue Ball Capital, bringing its total funding to $11.75 million. The company describes itself as a diverse organization (62% female; 34% Black; 28% Latinx; 21% Asian; 17% white) and cites that diversity as a factor in its success. Jopwell is a Y Combinator‑backed diversity and hiring platform focused on connecting underrepresented ethnic minority candidates with employers in tech. The platform reports that recruiter searches typically yield about 250 qualified candidates from underrepresented groups. From a gender standpoint its users are roughly 50% female, 49% male and 1% non‑binary. In the last year Jopwell added 40 corporate customers and its client roster includes Facebook, Box, Trello, Khan Academy, MasterCard, BuzzFeed, Jet and Etsy. The company says it has facilitated over 6,000 connections between companies and potential candidates and that employer searches tripled in Q4 2015. Jopwell plans to use new funding to scale operations and expand product capabilities. Jopwell operates a recruiting platform that lets college-educated job seekers create detailed profiles, express interest in specific companies, and lets employers search for candidates with particular qualifications. Candidates must have a college degree in any discipline; the company sources talent via on-campus partnerships with minority-affiliated clubs and alumni networks such as Teach for America. Jopwell is open to all colleges and reports candidates from more than 200 schools across the country. It currently focuses on Black, Latino and Native American candidates and says it will expand its definition of diversity over time. Employer partners include 24 companies, among them AppNexus, BuzzFeed, Etsy, Facebook, McKinsey, Morgan Stanley, Pinterest and Square. The company offers a flexible fee structure—ranging from subscription models to recruiting-style placement fees—and reports having placed 20 candidates in full-time or internship roles; it has raised $1 million from angel investors and Rothenberg Ventures.

Total raised

$12M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Sep 2017