Techfynder seeks to raise up to €5m as demand surges during pandemic

Online recruitment platform for IT contractors expects 600 hires in next three months

Techfynder, an Irish company that has developed an online recruitment platform for IT contractors, is seeking to raise between €3 million and €5 million following a surge in use by clients during the Covid-19 crisis.

The Blanchardstown-headquartered company claims it is the first dedicated platform that allows companies to directly connect with contractors and to enable every aspect of the hiring process to be done via a single portal.

The company, which launched last October, is now active in 84 countries. Techfynder said it expects 600 new jobs to be sourced through its platform in the next three months alone.

"We have seen an appetite for our service increase at an unprecedented scale due to Covid-19, especially in Germany, the Netherlands and France as well as Britain and Ireland, " said Techfynder's head of marketing Paul Guy.

READ MORE

He said much of the increased business is a result of companies looking to quickly upgrade their existing IT facilities so that staff can work remotely.

As well as finding contractors for clients, Techfynder is also hiring itself. It announced plans late last year to hire 50 people and recruitment continues in both Dublin and Hydrebad, India, despite the pandemic.

The company is the brainchild of Praveen Madire, founder of independent software testing group Test Triangle. That company, which was established in 2012, now employs 74 people, and has annual revenues of about €5 million.

Techfynder’s service, which is available via a dedicated website and a mobile app, allows contractors to highlight their skills, experience, daily rates, location and length of contract sought, and match them with suitable companies. The service is free for them to use, and allows them to line up their next job ahead of time without having to scour and post on multiple recruitment platforms.

For companies the service works as a subscription-based offering, matching and providing access to in-demand contractors who are open to hearing of new opportunities.

The platform allows both sides to talk directly with each other, to set up interviews and even to sign contracts without needing to leave the portal.

Mr Guy said Techfynder had received substantial interest venture capital firms as it seeks outside investment to continue to expand into other markets.

“We have already begun discussions and there has been great feedback as our product is quickly scalable, adaptive to different sectors, and we own our intellectual property,” he said.

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor is a former Irish Times business journalist