Huzzle

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

  • Students wrestle with two pivotal career questions: "What should I do?" and "How do I gain the experience to land a job?"

  • Answering these questions is inevitably daunting, and when left unresolved, many students make ineffective career choices, resulting in future dissatisfaction and misery.

  • Meanwhile, employers invest considerable resources to identify and recruit talented, passionate and motivated individuals.

  • This week’s company, Huzzle, offers a solution to bridge the gap between students, societies, and companies👇

Solution in a sentence: Huzzle is building a three-sided marketplace to connect students, societies, and companies.

Three pillars of the platform:

  • Students:

    • Access to 17k+ career opportunities and events.

    • AI-generated and automated applications.

    • Networking opportunities with companies and professionals.

    • Connect with societies.

  • Societies:

    • Host events, send newsletters, grow & analyse the community.

    • Collaborate with other societies and connect with sponsors.

  • Companies:

    • Talent acquisition: hiring features, advanced filtering, and personalised messaging campaigns.

    • Talent attraction: build a stronger brand, collaborate with societies and career influencers, and cohost and host events.

Analogy: Just as a matchmaking service brings together compatible individuals seeking relationships, Huzzle brings together students, student societies, and companies, facilitating connections and opportunities for mutual benefit in the realm of careers and professional development.

Company breakdown:

  • Industry: HR Tech

  • Headquarters: London (team free to work fully remotely)

  • Year Founded: 2021

  • Employee Count: 25-30

  • Investors: 10X Founders

  • Previously Raised: $300k (2021)

  • Business Model: SaaS platform for recruiters - talent attraction and acquisition.

  • Early Traction: Used by 80k+ students & 600+ societies.

Due Diligence

WHAT WE LIKE
  • Large UK talent pool: In the UK, more than 2.8 million students attended higher education institutions in 2021-22, alongside over 10,000 student societies. Accessing this extensive talent pool in a targeted and customised manner solves a major challenge for recruiters.

  • Strong early traction: Used by over 80k students and 600 societies, with over 150k job applications submitted and 17k entry-level jobs and events hosted.

  • Efficiency with AI and automation: AI-powered CV customisation, auto-filling job applications, personalised job search dashboard, and AI-generated summaries of opportunities.

  • Network effects: As more students, societies, and companies join Huzzle, each group benefits from increased connections and opportunities, reinforcing the platform's value for everyone involved.

POTENTIAL RISKS
  • Market competition: There are at least six other graduate job platforms in the UK, potentially impacting Huzzle’s market share and growth trajectory.

  • Market volatility: In 2023, a 40% decrease in graduate positions compared to 2018 underscores the market shift risks that Huzzle faces.

  • Quality control: Making sure job postings are real, events are helpful, and connections are meaningful is vital for keeping users happy and engaged on the platform, which may need strong vetting and monitoring processes.

  • Market acceptance and adoption: While the platform has gained initial traction, convincing recruiters to use a new SaaS platform for hiring might be tough because it needs to show clear benefits and stand out in a crowded market.

Founding Team

To request an introduction to the founders, please reply to this email.

Comparables

Why Huzzle: While comparables offer similar graduate job search opportunities, Huzzle’s three-sided marketplace goes further by integrating students, societies, and employers into one platform that aligns their interests in a way that hasn’t been done before.

Have your say:

Written by Monty

If you’d like to 🎙️ pitch to us or 📣 partner with us, please respond to this email