HireGlide

What do they actually do

HireGlide is a recruiting SaaS that scores and ranks applicants against a specific job, lets hiring teams send short AI-driven screening chats, and surfaces matching candidates from a pre‑assessed, early‑career network. Recruiters can start without an ATS by creating a job or uploading a CSV; resumes are scored with explanations, candidates complete a 10–15 minute adaptive interview, and teams review the results themselves—HireGlide does not auto‑reject. An optional Ashby integration is available for syncing (hireglide.ai, FAQ, YC company page).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Early‑stage startup recruiter hiring recent grads: Spends too much time sifting resumes and running initial screens; needs quick, explainable signals to decide who to progress. HireGlide’s resume scoring and short AI interviews aim to replace manual first screens (FAQ, YC).
• University/campus recruiting coordinator: Needs to show placement outcomes and manage large cohorts; wants a partner to pre‑assess students and surface suitable roles. HireGlide highlights university partnerships and a pre‑assessed candidate network (hireglide.ai).
• Talent acquisition lead at a mid‑sized tech company (junior–mid roles): Faces inconsistent screening quality and manual funnels; wants reusable assessments and smoother ATS workflows. HireGlide supports CSV onboarding and offers an Ashby integration add‑on (FAQ).
• Hiring manager on a small eng/product/design team: Needs concise, defensible reasons to interview or pass; doesn’t want an opaque automated gate. HireGlide provides explainable CV scores and does not auto‑reject (hireglide.ai).
• Early‑career program manager building pipelines across roles: Re‑assesses the same candidates for multiple openings; needs reusable profiles showing fit across jobs. HireGlide’s stated vision is a reusable “career passport” and pre‑assessed marketplace (YC).

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Run targeted pilots with startup recruiters and hiring managers who hire recent grads, using warm intros and LinkedIn outreach. Offer a short, free pilot where HireGlide sets up the job, uploads a CSV, and runs screening live to prove value and capture before/after metrics (FAQ).
• First 50: Leverage university partnerships and pilot referrals to run coordinated campus hiring drives, pre‑assessing cohorts and delivering shortlists to employer partners. Convert early wins into lightweight paid pilots for mid‑sized teams, offering optional Ashby syncing (hireglide.ai, FAQ).
• First 100: Launch self‑serve job creation and candidate invites plus a paid tier for the pre‑assessed pool; automate onboarding templates and introduce referral incentives for universities and hiring managers. Prioritize 1–2 additional ATS integrations and publish case studies to make mid‑market sales repeatable (FAQ, YC).

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Recruiting software overall is a multi‑billion dollar category; for example, the ATS market is estimated at about $17.2B in 2025, with continued growth projected (Fortune Business Insights).

Bottom-up calculation:

HireGlide’s practical SAM sits at the intersection of pre‑employment assessments (~$1.8B–$4.3B depending on scope) and campus recruiting software (~$1.2B), with overlap between the two; a conservative combined SAM is roughly $2–5B globally (Verified Market Reports, Allied Market Research, Campus software).

Assumptions:

• Overlap exists between campus recruiting buyers and assessment tool buyers; combined figures are not additive.
• Focus is on early‑career/junior-to-mid roles and geographies where campus recruiting and assessments are commonly purchased.
• AI screening features are counted within assessment/campus categories rather than the broader ATS total.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Harver: Enterprise pre‑hire assessment and matching platform with validated tests and high‑volume automation; overlaps on assessments/matching but is geared to large‑scale, predefined role profiles (Harver, gamified assessments/pymetrics).
• pymetrics: Game‑based behavioral/cognitive assessments for early‑career hiring; relevant to HireGlide’s assessed‑candidate angle. Now redirects to Harver for assessments (pymetrics, Harver).
• Paradox (Olivia): Conversational recruiting assistant that runs chat/text screening, scheduling, and workflow automation at scale; overlaps on AI chat screening but emphasizes automation/scheduling over explainable CV scoring or a campus network.
• Handshake: Large campus/early‑talent marketplace used by employers and universities; overlaps on university sourcing but is primarily a marketplace rather than AI scoring plus adaptive interviews.
• Applied: Structured, skills‑first hiring with anonymized CVs, built‑in assessments, and AI shortlisting; competes on fair, defensible screening workflows for early‑career talent.