FOUNDER OF THE MONTH
ANDREW GARDNER
HUMANLY
BY Russell Nichols
The economic spiral from the coronavirus pandemic has led to millions of people losing jobs or unable to find work . But with the help of artificial intelligence , Sacramento-based startup Humanly wants to make the hiring process run faster and smoother for companies flooded with applications , says Andrew Gardner , chief operating officer .
“ With COVID , you ’ re seeing even more applicants because of higher unemployment ,” says Gardner , cofounder with CEO Prem Kumar and Chief Technology Officer Bryan Leptich . “ Human resources don ’ t have time to handle that volume .”
Enter Humanly . This AI-powered hiring platform can screen and schedule job candidates at scale . It reduces hiring time and identifies the best candidates , connecting with them automatically through various channels such as social media , text message and email . The technology helps remove biases and optimizes a diverse applicant pool , according to Gardner .
Early this year , Humanly went through startup accelerator Y Combinator , and , in August , it was named winner of the Sacramento Kings Capitalize startup contest . The team of about 10 ( with a few part-timers ) raised about $ 1 million in its seed round , Gardner says . Although Humanly is not actively fundraising , it may potentially do a Series A funding round next year .
PHOTO BY TERENCE DUFFY a teacher ( my wife expects If I could have any other job , I ’ d be .......................................................
me to go back and teach later in life ). ........................................................................................................
The book that best represents my approach to business would be ...... “ The Hard Thing About Hard Things : Building a .................................................................................................... Business When There Are No Easy Answers ,” .................................................................................................... by Ben Horowitz . ...................................................................................................
“ a journey , not a destination ,” I believe life is ...........................................................................
Ralph Waldo Emerson . .................................................................................................
can this truly have a My biggest fear about launching was ........................................ lasting impact on the world ? ................................................................................................ to enjoy If I could give my younger self advice , it would be ......................
each and every step of the way . It is so easy to get ................................................................................................ caught up in accomplishing all goals you set for your- ................................................................................................
................................................................................................. self that you lose sight of the beauty at each stage
.................................................................................................. you are at in life .
HOW DOES HUMANLY IMPROVE THE PROCESS FOR APPLICANTS WHO DON ’ T GET THE JOB ? “ Even for those applicants who may not be a good fit , we can drop them into passive outreach , reaching out three , six , 12 months down the line . Just because they ’ re not a fit now doesn ’ t mean they won ’ t be later . Employers will have a Rolodex of silver medalists .”
IS THERE A SPECIFIC INDUSTRY THAT YOU ’ RE FOCUSING ON ? “ We ’ re trying to be industry agnostic , but we look for three criteria for customers : high applicant volume , a revolving door of higher turnover and the ability to ask a relatively repetitive set of questions .”
134 comstocksmag . com | November 2020
For more on Humanly , read Russell Nichols ’ Startup of the Month column at comstocksmag . com .