For years, recruiters relied on machine learning tools that searched for keywords in résumés and LinkedIn profiles. While these systems narrowed candidate pools, recruiters still had to manually review each profile to decide who might be the best fit.

Co-founders David Paffenholz and Ishan Gupta, then just 22 and 19, believed that large language models (LLMs) could solve this problem by understanding context and intent, not just keywords. The two built Juicebox, an AI-powered search engine that uses natural language queries to analyze professional profiles, personal websites, and other publicly available data in order to identify the most qualified candidates.

After joining Y Combinator in 2022, they refined the product over two years. By late 2023, they launched PeopleGPT, the company’s flagship tool that applies Juicebox’s search technology directly to recruiting. With PeopleGPT, talent teams and startups can describe the type of candidate they want in plain language and instantly receive curated results.

The combination of Juicebox’s AI search engine and its specialized application PeopleGPT quickly gained traction. Within months, it was serving more than 2,500 customers and generating over $10 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). Clients ranged from startups to large organizations including Cognition, Ramp, and Perplexity.

On Thursday, Juicebox announced it had raised $30 million in Series A funding, led by Sequoia Capital, bringing total funding to $36 million.

David Cahn, a partner at Sequoia, said he first heard about Juicebox when a startup founder credited it for hiring over a dozen employees without using professional recruiters. Soon after, Sequoia’s own internal recruiter tested the tool for the firm’s hiring efforts.

That traction convinced Cahn:

“I’m not sure I’ve ever in my career seen a company with four people that got to 2,000 customers with that small of a team,” Cahn told TechCrunch.

What makes Juicebox stand out is speed. Its AI doesn’t just filter résumés — it actively discovers new candidates who wouldn’t appear in traditional keyword searches.

“We help find net new candidates that wouldn’t be found elsewhere, because the profiles might not have the keywords or the types of things that we’d expect them to have in the regular searches,” said Paffenholz.

Once candidates are identified, PeopleGPT’s agent can email them directly and schedule initial calls, automating time-consuming recruiting steps. This functionality appeals both to startups without dedicated recruiters and to large corporate talent teams, freeing them to focus on building relationships with potential hires.

While Juicebox is gaining momentum, legacy talent acquisition companies such as Eightfold are also adding AI-powered recruiting features. The market is becoming more crowded, but Sequoia believes Juicebox has the potential to become a default tool for startups.

“We’ve invested in a number of businesses that become defaults for startups, like Stripe,” said Cahn. “I think Juicebox has a chance to be a default where, every single startup, [it’s] the first thing they use to hire their first employees.”

Q: How much funding has Juicebox raised?
A: $36 million total, including a $30 million Series A round led by Sequoia Capital.

Q: What is Juicebox’s product?
A: PeopleGPT, an LLM-powered recruiting engine that analyzes résumés, websites, and public profiles to find qualified candidates.

Q: Who founded Juicebox?
A: David Paffenholz and Ishan Gupta, who co-founded the company after attending Y Combinator in 2022.

Q: How is Juicebox performing?
A: It serves 2,500+ customers and generates over $10 million ARR.

Q: What makes Juicebox different from traditional recruiting tools?
A: It can infer candidate skills without relying solely on keywords, and its agent automates outreach and scheduling.

The Juicebox funding round highlights growing investor confidence in LLM-powered recruiting platforms. For startups racing to build AI capabilities, faster hiring is critical — and PeopleGPT’s automation can help level the playing field.

If Juicebox maintains its pace, it could become a core tool in the startup stack, much like Stripe or Slack. The challenge will be scaling against established players such as Eightfold while preserving its nimbleness.

With backing from Sequoia and strong early adoption, Juicebox is positioning itself to reshape how companies of all sizes approach hiring in the AI era.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.