Led · Equity · Sep 2022

The Muse is a values-based job search and career development platform that combines technology, insights and instincts with each professional’s unique priorities. Led by CEO Kathryn Minshew and COO/CFO Dave Bethoney, the company serves employers seeking to attract and hire top talent. Its solution is already used by 10% of the Fortune 500. The Muse raised USD8M in funding to continue building out its platform. The company intends to use the funds to expand its product and to seek out and acquire other brands that attract high-demand job seekers. By incorporating those brands into a broader offering, The Muse aims to grow jobseeker offerings and increase value for employers. The Muse is a values-based career destination that allows the next-gen workforce to search for jobs at companies whose people, perks, and values align with their needs. The platform provides authentic company profiles and employee stories to showcase culture, workplace, and values. More than 75 million people each year trust The Muse for career discovery, skills-building, and job search. The company plans to use a new investment to expand product development and sales to meet increasing market demand for its employer-discovery offerings. The Muse is partnering with DHI Group to develop joint sales, thought leadership, and product solutions. Kathryn Minshew, Co-Founder and CEO, said the company is gaining momentum in its mission to help companies showcase values and create a more transparent, humanized job search experience. The Muse is a career platform that combines job listings, employer video profiles, skill-building courses, sponsored content, and a coaching marketplace. Its recruiting business is the largest revenue driver, while sponsored content is a smaller but growing revenue stream (high single digits to low double digits). The company reported 50 million annual users and says its audience skews female (65%) with half under age 30. It launched “Coach Connect” in November to offer standardized, tiered coaching services and is experimenting with classes and other professional-development products. The Muse has nearly 100 employees and operates in roughly 40 markets, with strong traction in New York and San Francisco and plans to explore international expansion. Management sees an opportunity to funnel community members to the right classes, coaches, jobs, or content as a path to growth. The Muse operates a career site focused on younger professionals with photo-intensive employer profiles and interviews with company teams. Its content includes career advice, how-to guides, and original employer video and photo office tours. The site reports more than 3 million active users per month, an average user age of 29, a 65-to-35 percent female-to-male split, and more than half of users are non-white. The Muse’s revenue model is primarily monthly subscription fees paid by employers to access its audience. With new funding the company plans to hire 25 people by year-end and add personalization and new products for skills development. The product is positioned to compete with incumbents like Glassdoor, Monster, and LinkedIn for younger users. The Muse is a career-discovery and job-search platform that helps people figure out what to do for a living. It produces stories and videos profiling workplaces and curates a subscriber marketplace of roughly 150 companies that advertise openings. The site emphasizes community and content-driven guidance to differentiate from traditional job boards and LinkedIn. The Muse reports about 1 million active visitors per month. Kathryn Minshew built the product after working at McKinsey; the site also lists co-founders Alexandra Cavoulacos and Melissa McCreery. The company positions itself against a $124 billion annual market and selectively vets employers to maintain quality.