WorkTorch, the HR platform formerly known as QuickHire announced it has secured $2.2 million in a funding round spearheaded by Tenzing Capital. The evolution from QuickHire to WorkTorch accompanies the secured funds as the company seeks to fully express itself regarding employee recruitment and retention.
WorkTorch cofounders Deborah Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall have described the company’s evolution as an 18 months process borne out of the evolving relationship between employers and employees. The issue of employment has gone beyond hiring quality talent as companies now have to grapple with the possibility of loosing more employees than they can hire. WorkTorch’s handlers have realised that companies must now seek ways to keep their workers after the demanding process of hiring.
Speaking on WorkTorch’s efforts, Gladney explains: “We started leaning into what was happening to people post-hire and have started to focus on career development and talent retention tools,” “So our new name is WorkTorch. We want to be a guiding light to a better career, a better workforce.”
WorkTorch was launched in April 2021 and currently has over 40,000 service industry applicants seeking employment through its platform. In addition, it coordinates 1,000 interviews per month for applicants. The evolution the company is going through presently will also grant its users access to a portal for career development to monitor their professional growth and link up with co-applicants with common interests.
The platform also offers an avenue for employers to use new retention tools to monitor regional and national data trends and to secure feedback about prevailing working conditions from employees.
WorkTorch has been able to attract investors due to the evolving working conditions in the United States. HR platforms have received a lot of attention from investors regardless of “The Great Resignation” which has taken the ecosystem by storm. In January and February 2022, the HR sector got over $1.4 billion investment. Same sector was able to secure $12.3 billion in 2021.
According to Gladney, WorkTorch struggled to close its seed round due to the pressure from investors, and this lasted for almost six months.
Josh Oeding, founder of Tenzing Capital while commending the vision of WorkTorch feels that: “employers need better tools and capabilities to meet the needs of their workforce, and service-industry professionals thrive when offered opportunities to develop and grow their careers.” WorkTorch is simply working out the delivery of value to professionals and employers and also getting the appropriate response from the market.
The founder of Graham & Walker, Leslie Feinzaig drives Oeding’s points further: “I was deeply impressed by Deborah and Angela and had one of those magical first meetings where I immediately know I want to invest.” Describing the WorkTorch attraction, Fenzaig continues: “It was striking to me that this team deeply understands and respects the service workers, in a way that is rare in startup pitches. And this translates to metrics that are undeniable and unheard of for a startup at this stage.”
As for the future of WorkTorch, the cofounders are hoping the startup will be the foremost company to serve everyone seeking career direction. “WorkTorch is empowering people to pursue whatever they are passionate about. And then we come alongside them to help them get there,” Gladney explained.
