Next-generation recruitment platform Intrro secures close to AED 2 million investment to fuel international growth

Startup incubator in5 has announced that Intrro, one of its members, has successfully secured closed to AED 2 million in pre-seed funding from 500 Startups, Spartech Ventures and strategic angel investors such as Saif Kidwai, Co-Founder of technology recruitment consultancy Digital Gurus. 

The in5 startup has created an employee referral platform using machine learning to automatically match candidates from employee networks to open vacancies. It was co-founded by Nasser Oudjidane, CEO, and Neel Shah, COO, in May 2019 and has offices in Dubai, London and Tbilisi.

Intrro has been a member of TECOM Group’s startup incubator in5 since October 2019. To date, in5 has helped technology, media and design entrepreneurs raise more than AED400 million in investor funding.

Ammar Al Malik, Managing Director of Dubai Internet City, said: “Dubai is an attractive destination for technology startups and Intrro’s successful pre-seed funding demonstrates strong investor confidence in local firms. We are committed to helping in5 members attract investment so they can contribute to the ongoing success of our world-class ecosystem.”

Commenting on the pre-seed funding led by 500 Startups, Oudjidane said: “We are extremely thankful to our partners and investors who decided to join us on this exciting journey to transform employee referrals.

“Recruiting the right people is a challenge for fast-growing companies, but Intrro allows founders and hiring leaders to supercharge this process by using machine learning to match candidates from an employees’ network with open roles.”

Intrro works alongside some of the world’s fastest-growing companies. It has been featured in Forbes among others since it burst onto the scene in Dubai Internet City with in5 Tech. Oudjidane praised the incubator for creating a dynamic startup environment with comprehensive benefits, access to mentors and investors, and services to improve ease of doing business in the UAE.

On the company’s offering, Shah added: “Intrro enables recruiters to browse their employee contacts against open positions and proactively ask for an intro. This allows recruiters to spend more time speaking to receptive candidates and less time chasing leads, whilst giving hiring managers access to a broader, verified and more diverse pool of talent.”

Sharif El-Badawi, partner at 500 Startups, said: “We’re proud to be on this journey with Neel and Nasser and look forward to seeing Intrro help fast-growing companies scale their biggest assets.”

Amer Fatayer, Managing Director of Spartech Ventures, added: “Intrro is building the next-generation hiring platform for fast-growing organisations. The vision, focus and ambition of the team has fuelled their swift growth and we’re excited to join the journey.”