AI Recruitment Platform "HelloBoss" Raises Several Million USD in Pre-A Round, Led by Yunqi Capital | Yunqi Capital

➤➤➤ Recently, Japanese AI recruitment platform "HelloBoss" **completed a multi-million-dollar Pre-A funding round led by Yunqi Capital. The proceeds will be used for product R&D, market expansion, and team building.

"HelloBoss" targets AI+HR services, helping companies and job seekers match quickly through AI to complete the hiring process. Japan's mobile internet + AI era is just beginning, representing a massive opportunity for "HelloBoss."

Yunqi's Perspective

Yunqi has always focused on "Technology Innovation, Industrial Empowerment," with AI+enterprise services being one of its key areas of sustained attention. Yunqi made early bets on standout companies including Coohom, PingCAP, and Zilliz.

Chen Yu, Partner at Yunqi Capital, said: "We've conducted in-depth research on the Japanese software market and are bullish on it long-term. The application of AI technology in recruitment, combined with favorable tailwinds in Japan's hiring market — such as rising job-switching rates and strong willingness to pay — creates a new platform-level opportunity. We believe the 'HelloBoss' team, with its deep understanding of the Japanese market and industry technical background, will build a next-generation AI recruitment platform."

Founder and CEO Wang Qin said that with a population of 125.8 million, Japan's GDP is roughly double that of all ten ASEAN countries combined, and its middle class is sizable. Yet unlike China, Japan's talent recruitment model remains remarkably primitive. The problems with Japan's current recruitment model are: high costs — companies must pay headhunters 25-35% of a hire's annual salary as a placement fee, with per-hire costs reaching at least RMB 50,000; long recruitment cycles — the traditional process drags on for 2-3 months, making communication between employers and job seekers time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Data shows that internet penetration in Japanese recruitment is only 3%, with primary channels still being employment agencies, staffing firms, and print flyers. By comparison, China's internet recruitment penetration has reached 33%, while the US sits at 8%. However, Japan's smartphone penetration has grown steadily, hitting 94% in 2022.

Now, with generative AI sweeping the globe, every industry is facing new opportunities. Leveraging large model capabilities, "HelloBoss" has iteratively built high-frequency, must-have AI features into its product —

1. AI-generated job application photos and resumes:

"HelloBoss" requires only one everyday photo and can generate dozens of professional headshots via AI in just one minute. Simultaneously, it generates a detailed, ready-to-use resume based on mobile registration information, drastically reducing the time users spend adjusting formats and editing content;

2. AI-generated job postings:

Employers can simply select hiring requirements to quickly publish recruitment copy;

3. HR Agent for automatic in-app talent matching:

Through AI technology, "HelloBoss" has collected and built a proprietary database of 5.3 million Japanese companies, including employee headcount, job descriptions, and company performance data, efficiently and precisely connecting suitable job seekers with employers. When companies complete verified onboarding, they can one-click link to the database for self-service registration, while job seekers can directly access relevant company information.

On the business model front, "HelloBoss" is completely free for job seekers; for enterprise users, it operates on a usage-based subscription model, charging a fixed fee per job posting per month. Within six months of launch, "HelloBoss" has onboarded over 1,000 companies, including leading global brands such as Dior, Marriott, Hyatt, McDonald's, Lawson, PingCAP, and SHEIN.

Founder Wang Qin is a serial entrepreneur who previously spent five years at global HR giant Recruit Group. Core team members hail from major tech companies including Apple, ByteDance, Tencent, Alibaba, DiDi, Indeed, and Microsoft Research. Dr. Xue Yanbo, former Chief Scientist at BOSS Zhipin, recently joined "HelloBoss." Dr. Xue has long specialized in machine learning and quantum computing research. During his tenure at BOSS Zhipin, he led a team focused on using algorithms and related technologies to improve the matching rate between companies and talent. With Dr. Xue's arrival, "HelloBoss" will further enhance its AI technical capabilities and iterate on the matching efficiency of its recruitment business.