Wrksense raises €825,000 in pre-seed funding for global expansion

16 Oct 2024

From left: Andrew Connolly and Ruaidhrí McDonnell of Wrksense. Image: Conor Ó Mearáin/Julien Behal Photography.

The pre-seed fund is supported by a group of angel investors along with Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start-up (HPSU) fund.

Wrksense, an AI-driven HR tech start-up has raised €825,000 in pre-seed funding to fuel its global expansion, enhance its AI features and build strategic partnerships with players in the recruitment industry.

The pre-seed fund is supported by a group of angel investors along with Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start-up (HPSU) fund.

Founded in 2023 by Andrew Connolly, former managing director of Morgan McKinley Canada, and Ruaidhrí McDonnell, former head of software architecture at Spencer Stuart and eShopworld, Wrksense is designed specifically for recruitment agencies.

The platform, integrating itself with customer relationship management systems, enables agencies to tailor their service offering and scale by offering AI-powered tools for project management and reporting.

“Our goal is to empower recruitment agencies to enhance client relationships by automating administrative tasks, so they can focus on delivering a more personalised, high-touch service,” said Connolly.

“This funding allows us to scale our global footprint and further enhance our platform’s capabilities,” he said, adding that since its launch it has expanded to Canada, the US and the UK.

“Wrksense is an excellent example of a forward-thinking Irish start-up that is using cutting-edge technology to address real challenges in the recruitment sector,” said Donnchadh Cullinan, head of information and communication technology HPSU at Enterprise Ireland.

Wrksense is currently participating in the inaugural AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme delivered by NovaUCD, University College Dublin’s hub of innovation and start-up activities. The six-month accelerator is being launched in partnership with CeADAR, Ireland’s research centre for applied AI.

Earlier this year, Dublin-based start-up Skippio raised €540,000 in seed funding to bring its fan experience platform ­– aimed at reducing the problem of long queues for food and drinks at large-scale events – to the UK. A part of the investment was supported by Enterprise Ireland’s HPSU funding.

Tomorrow (17 October), the sixth annual Enterprise Ireland HPSU Founder of the Year Award will take place in Dublin, crowning one out of the 67 HPSUs who took part in this year’s Founders Forum.

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Suhasini Srinivasaragavan is a sci-tech reporter for Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com