Candidate

Seed

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Candidate is reimagining the traditional hiring model by leading with referrals. Founded by CEO Ryan Agresta in January 2020, the dual sided tech platform makes it easier for employers to find talent and build more inclusive and diverse teams. Referrers submit their connections to open roles, employers review candidates, and if a referrer’s connection is chosen the referrer receives a reward. Candidate’s model prioritizes more than what’s visible on an applicant’s resume via the inclusion of a personal referral. Candidate’s employer partners include hundreds of startups, tech companies, and publicly traded ventures based in Seattle, San Francisco, New York and beyond. Candidate is a seed stage startup with investor backing from Voyager Capital, BAM Ventures, Positive Sum and more.

Year Founded:

2020

Lead Investors:

Voyager Capital - based in Seattle, Positive Sum - based in SF, Revolution (Rise of the Rest) - based in Washington DC, BAM - based in LA, Ascend - based in Seattle, Cercano (formerly known as Vulcan) - based in Seattle

Office Environment:

Hybrid

MEET THE FOUNDER(s)

01

Ryan Agresta

CEO

02

03

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CULTURE

How do you show employees you appreciate them?

We show our employees we appreciate them by recognizing accomplishments in weekly team meetings. We also find spending time together outside of the office helps build camaraderie and allows for employees to interact with others they may not work with day to day. For example, the last time we had everyone in Seattle we attended a Mariners game. In addition to our monthly lunches, we have an end of year party with plus ones to celebrate the year’s accomplishments.

How are you creating a workplace of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging?

We have a diversity and equity advisory board (https://www.candidate.co/equity/) to advise on how we hire, develop as a company and build DEI into our product. We have thought leadership speakers, such as Lionel Lee and plan to implement a DEI book club. It's a core value for us and at the heart of our company and product. We were at the forefront of including salary in job postings for our company and as a requirement for employers to post a role in our platform. We’re also excited to continue implementing DEI focused activities and exercises, such as creating team identity wheels.

Why should someone work at your company?

Candidate is an inclusive company that values all ideas and prioritizes work-life balance. We're a small team from different backgrounds and ages but still come together to build the best company we can. We have the flexibility to be hybrid (in the office two days a week) or work remotely from anywhere in the country. We like to have fun, do awesome work, and spend time with our families.

Our company could win an award for:

A welcoming culture of connection and belonging. A fun example of how we uphold this connection is through a weekly icebreaker activity with open questions that encourage all types of perspectives and responses.

Top 100 culture Award winner

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