The hiring process has long been criticized for its inefficiency and opacity. Candidates spend hours filling out applications and submitting cover letters, only to end up with something like a black box. Generative AI will only further confuse things, with employers increasingly relying on AI-powered screening systems to sift through the overwhelming number of submissions.
Stockholm-based startup Fika Jobs thinks there’s a better way. The company is building a video-first recruiting platform that combines AI interviewing agents with short-form video profiles, creating something like a cross between LinkedIn and TikTok. Rather than relying solely on resumes, candidates complete an AI-powered interview designed to showcase their personality and communication skills.
Fika Jobs announced a $4 million pre-seed round on Tuesday. The funding will be used to continue developing the platform, grow the team, and prepare for a broader launch later this year.
For job seekers, the process begins by connecting to your LinkedIn profile. Fika’s AI reviews candidates’ backgrounds and generates personalized interview questions. Candidates then complete an approximately 10-minute video interview with an AI agent, currently powered by Google’s Gemini model.
After the interview, Fika automatically converts your answers into short video clips and compiles them into your profile. Rather than applying to every new role, candidates maintain an up-to-date profile so employers can spot and revisit new opportunities as they arise.
The idea was born when co-founders and brothers Jakob Dubois (CEO) and Alexander Dubois (CTO) were building their previous startup.
“When we were building[social app]Gaff, we were spending a lot of time recruiting and candidates’ resumes weren’t very impressive, so we almost got passed over,” Jakob Dubois told TechCrunch. “Anyway, we ended up talking to him and within minutes his grit, drive and ambition were evident. He’s exactly the kind of person we wanted to hire.”
This experience convinced the founders that some of the traits that employers value most are difficult to capture on paper.
Unlike most of its competitors (like Alex, Maki, and Mercor, among others) that are focused on helping employers use AI to source, screen, and match candidates more efficiently, Fika is building a platform where candidates can maintain video-first profiles and employers can browse a pool of talent that has already been interviewed and evaluated by AI.
If successful, Fika Jobs will allow employers to assess communication skills and cultural fit early in the hiring process, complementing traditional resume and application reviews. This approach may be particularly valuable for early-career professionals or candidates from non-traditional backgrounds whose potential is not always obvious from their resumes alone.
Of course, video profiles contain a real risk of bias, which is also worth being aware of. When employers are able to see a candidate’s race, age, gender, appearance, and accent before evaluating their qualifications, they open the door to discrimination that resumes, for all their flaws, at least partially mask. There’s a reason some companies are moving to blind resume screening.
The platform is scheduled to begin early access to candidates this week, with a broader public rollout planned for this fall. The company will focus on Sweden first before expanding internationally. Fika’s team is currently small, but he plans to coach about 10 employees by the end of the year.
More than 100 companies are on the waiting list, the founders said, but they declined to say which ones. Separately, it said more than 50 companies have tested the platform, including Plenty Labs, SICS.ai, Kognity and Rebtel.
Job seekers can use the platform for free. Employers do not pay anything upfront, but Fika receives 10% of a candidate’s first year’s salary upon successful hire. (The company notes that this is lower than the 20% to 30% referral fees that traditional recruiters and headhunters often charge.)
The round was led by Luminar Ventures, with participation from Alliance VC and King co-founders Sebastian Knutsson and Riccardo Zacconi, the duo best known for developing the hit mobile game Candy Crush.
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