Stockholm-based startup Fika Jobs has raised $4 million in pre-seed funding to build a video-first hiring platform that replaces traditional resumes with AI-conducted interviews and short-form video profiles. The company announced the round on Tuesday, led by Luminar Ventures with participation from Alliance VC and King co-founders Sebastian Knutsson and Riccardo Zacconi, the duo behind Candy Crush.
How the platform works
For job seekers, the process begins by connecting a LinkedIn profile. Fika’s AI, currently powered by Google’s Gemini models, reviews the candidate’s background and generates personalized interview questions. Candidates then complete a roughly 10-minute video interview with the AI agent. After the interview, Fika automatically turns responses into short video clips and organizes them into a live profile that employers can discover and revisit as new opportunities arise.
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Instead of applying to every new role, candidates maintain a single, continuously updated profile. The company describes the experience as a cross between LinkedIn and TikTok, designed to showcase personality and communication skills that are difficult to capture on paper.
The founding story
The idea came from co-founders and brothers Jakob Dubois (CEO) and Alexander Dubois (CTO) while they were building their previous social app, Gaff. “We spent a lot of time recruiting and almost passed on a candidate because his resume did not really stand out,” Jakob Dubois told TechCrunch. “We ended up speaking with him anyway, and within minutes, his grit, drive, and ambition became obvious. Exactly the kind of person we wanted to hire.”
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That experience convinced the founders that traits employers care about most—communication skills, cultural fit, and drive—are often invisible on a resume. Unlike competitors such as Alex, Maki, and Mercor, which focus on helping employers screen and match candidates more efficiently, Fika is building a platform where candidates maintain video-first profiles and employers browse a pool of people who have already been interviewed and evaluated by AI.
Early traction and pricing
More than 100 companies are on the waitlist, according to the founders, though they declined to disclose which ones. Separately, they said more than 50 companies have tested the platform, including Plenty Labs, SICS.ai, Kognity, and Rebtel. The platform is free for job seekers. Employers pay nothing up front, but Fika takes 10% of a candidate’s first-year salary upon a successful hire—lower than the 20% to 30% placement fees often charged by traditional recruiters and headhunters.
The company plans to open early access to candidates this week, with a broader public launch expected this fall. Fika will initially focus on Sweden before expanding internationally. The team currently has fewer than 10 employees but expects to reach around 10 by the end of the year.
Bias risks worth acknowledging
Video profiles introduce real bias risks that are worth acknowledging. When employers can see a candidate’s race, age, gender, physical appearance, and accent before evaluating their qualifications, it opens the door to discrimination that a resume, for all its flaws, at least partially obscures. There’s a reason some companies have moved toward blind resume screening. Fika’s approach may be especially valuable for early-career professionals and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds, whose potential is not always apparent from a resume alone, but the company will need to address these risks as it scales.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Fika Jobs work for job seekers?
Job seekers connect their LinkedIn profile, and Fika’s AI generates personalized interview questions. They then complete a 10-minute video interview, and the platform turns the responses into short video clips for a live profile.
How does Fika Jobs make money?
The platform is free for job seekers. Employers pay a 10% fee of the candidate’s first-year salary upon a successful hire, which is lower than the typical 20-30% charged by traditional recruiters.
What are the potential risks of video-first hiring?
Video profiles can introduce bias, as employers may see a candidate’s race, age, gender, or appearance before evaluating qualifications, potentially leading to discrimination that resume screening partially avoids.
When will Fika Jobs launch publicly?
The platform opens early access to candidates this week, with a broader public launch expected in fall 2024. It will initially focus on Sweden before expanding internationally.
Who invested in Fika Jobs?
The $4 million pre-seed round was led by Luminar Ventures, with participation from Alliance VC and King co-founders Sebastian Knutsson and Riccardo Zacconi.
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