Recruitment tech startup HireBound raises $2 million in round led by Kalaari Capital

Recruitment tech startup HireBound has raised $2 million in a seed funding round led by Kalaari Capital.

The round also saw participation from the likes of venture capital (VC) firm Antler, wealthtech startup Infinyte Club, and talent solutions provider CareerNet.

The Bengaluru-based startup said it will deploy the capital to step up product development, expand go-to-market operations, and accelerate international expansion over the next 12-24 months.


Founded in 2024 by Sharad Vij and Kumar Vikramaditya, HireBound builds and operates artificial intelligence (AI) agents that automate large parts of the hiring workflow, including sourcing, candidate engagement, screening, and evaluation. The platform operates across email, WhatsApp, SMS, and voice channels and integrates with applicant tracking systems (ATS) and HRMS platforms.

“The (hiring) process has been broken and remains unsolved with current ATS systems because they're just a system of record. The vision has been to use AI agents for helping drive recruiting outcomes for organisations,” Vij told ET.

The company said its platform has facilitated more than three million candidate conversations and has been trained on over two million resumes and 30,000 job descriptions. It primarily serves staffing firms and enterprise talent acquisition teams through SaaS and managed hiring models.

"We’ve given recruiters AI agents to automate the admin work they handle day in and day out. But the core responsibility remains human: identifying the right talent and building genuine connections," said Vikramaditya.

The startup currently has a 15-member team spanning product, engineering, AI/ML, delivery, and go-to-market roles.

According to data from Tracxn, HireBound had previously raised $348,000 in funding from investors, including Antler.

“As global demand for AI-driven efficiency grows, HireBound is well-positioned to redefine how modern hiring teams operate,” said Jayraj Bharat Patel, associate vice president, Kalaari Capital.