Romania’s Early Game Ventures (EGV) announced on Thursday, September 25, a new seed investment in the startup YOX, which aims to revolutionize the blue-collar job market with the help of AI. The EUR 1.5 million round will allow the startup to expand internationally, the venture capital firm said.
YOX, co-founded by Martin Dimitrov and Lilyana Dimitrova, is positioning itself as a solution to inefficiencies in frontline hiring, where workers often struggle to find jobs while employers complain of a lack of candidates.
“The real problem isn’t lack of people – it’s that neither side has perfect information,” said Martin Dimitrov, co-founder and CEO of YOX.
The company has built a geo-localized infrastructure that factors in over 200 criteria, including location, transport, wages, shifts, and working hours, to guide candidates through a simple, voice-based interface. Job seekers only need to signal their availability, and within 24 hours, the platform guarantees interview opportunities, YOX said.
Blue-collar and frontline jobs account for over 60% of the global workforce, with more than 40 million hires per year in the US and UK alone, according to YOX. On average, workers in this sector change jobs three to four times a year.
YOX says its “people first” model prioritizes job seekers and has already attracted thousands of users ready to start work immediately. The startup has also implemented a pay-per-candidate pricing model, where employers are charged only for qualified candidates ready to begin work.
“YOX stood out not because they were the only ones tackling the systemic challenges of the blue-collar labor market – others have tried – but because their solution was finally the right one,” said Cristian Munteanu, Managing Partner at EGV. “For a company with hundreds of stores or logistics centers, the ability to cover a shift at 7 a.m. tomorrow is critical. YOX solves that with their AI-driven approach.”
EGV II is backed by the Recovery Equity Fund, managed by the European Investment Fund and financed under Romania’s PNRR through the EU’s Next Generation program.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: press release)
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