Manchester-based HR tech startup urfuture has secured a £1.7m seed round to support its mission to rebuild entry-level hiring in the AI age.
Urfuture is building a hiring infrastructure designed to replace CVs and job boards. Its platform combines a ‘social-first Gen Z distribution engine’ with a proprietary behavioural science job matching algorithm, enabling employers to identify higher-intent, more diverse candidates and reduce hiring bias.
The round was led by River Capital with participation from SyndicateRoom’s Access fund, Manchester Angels, Fhunded, Solid Bond, Host Capital and a number of sector specialist angels.
Official figures show around 957,000 young people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training in October to December 2025. In addition, 45% of job seekers now use AI to help write or edit their CVs, meaning employers are increasingly overwhelmed with high volumes of low-quality, irrelevant applications.
“At a time when youth unemployment is rising sharply particularly among 16 to 21-year-olds, the need for accessible, high-quality career guidance has never been greater,” says David Walters investment director for River Capital.
“This challenge is especially acute for those without strong personal or professional support networks. Urfuture is uniquely positioned to bridge this gap, providing a scalable and engaging solution that empowers young people to explore entry-level roles, apprenticeships and longer-term career pathways.”
Walters adds that urfuture’s platform enables direct connections between candidates and employers through its app-based ecosystem, opening up opportunities that might otherwise remain out of reach. By combining intuitive technology with a clear social mission, he says urfuture is helping to reshape how early-career talent is discovered and developed.
The platform’s clients to date include West Midlands Police, Tesco, British Airways and Scottish Power Electricity North West.
