South African recruitment startup JOBJACK has secured ZAR45 million (US$2.5 million) in pre-Series A funding, a significant milestone aimed at revolutionizing entry-level recruitment in the country. Founded in 2018 by Christiaan van den Berg and Heine Bellingan, JOBJACK is an online platform designed to assist job seekers in their quest for entry-level employment opportunities. The platform offers a user-friendly CV creation process and allows applicants to apply directly from their mobile phones, with the added benefit of being data-free for MTN and Vodacom network users.
The JOBJACK platform has garnered a remarkable following, with nearly two million job seekers having registered so far, and this number continues to grow by approximately 2,000 new registrations daily. The ZAR45 million funding secured in this round will be instrumental in expanding JOBJACK’s operations and further developing its network in South Africa, all while connecting job seekers with life-changing employment prospects. The funding round was spearheaded by NEXT176, with participation from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, who are both deeply committed to supporting innovative solutions for job seekers.
Christiaan van den Berg, co-founder and co-CEO at JOBJACK, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “These funds allow us to continue our momentum of onboarding employers and, not only streamlining their entry-level recruitment but to drive accessibility and affordability for the job seekers that need it most.”
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Ona Meyer, program manager for youth employment at the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, shed light on the foundation’s mission, saying, “This partnership will allow JOBJACK to further scale its current response plan, streamlining the recruitment process and increasing access and affordability for job seekers. We are encouraged by the growth trajectory of JOBJACK’s business model to serve those looking to enter the entry-level job market.”
The impact-focused investors, including the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, are poised to contribute significantly to JOBJACK’s mission of transforming the entry-level job market in South Africa. Tramayne Monaghan, chief ventures officer at NEXT176, expressed the organization’s commitment to supporting transformative businesses, saying, “Our mission is to build and invest in disruptive businesses that are not only sustainable but also possess the power to change lives. Jobjack’s innovative approach to redefining entry-level recruitment in South Africa perfectly aligns with this vision. In addressing jobseekers’ pain points, we believe in the ripple effect of JOBJACK — how changing one life can set in motion a chain reaction of positive change resulting in a brighter, more inclusive future for South Africans.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert.
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard