Handshake Secures $80M To Accelerate Virtual Recruiting and Diverse Hiring

Handshake, the largest early career network helping millions of students from all backgrounds get hired and launch their careers, today announced its second $80 million round of venture financing within the past year, increasing Handshake’s investment total to $235.5 million and the company’s valuation to more than $1.5 billion. The company has more than doubled its revenue every year for the past three years, and is nearing $100 million in annual recurring revenue. In addition to Spark, Lightspeed, Coatue and Valiant, existing investors True Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, EQT Ventures, GGV Capital, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Emerson Collective all invested in this funding round.

“The way to change the way the workforce looks in the future is to focus on early career talent now,” said Garrett Lord, co-founder and CEO of Handshake. “Our mission of providing equal opportunity to all students — regardless of their background or who they know — has only grown in importance and we’re both proud and privileged to be in a place where we can not only surface actionable insights to employers around the diversity hiring practices, but also work with them to make meaningful change in driving social mobility.”

With this new funding, Handshake will continue to invest in creating new platform features that will further help anyone develop the relationships and skills they need to build their career. There will also be a focus on helping job seekers land not only their first internship or full-time position, but to continue having the necessary support as they find their second, third, and fourth jobs. This investment will also further propel Handshake’s international expansion, building upon its recent successful launch in the UK.

Announcement: Handshake Secures $80M To Accelerate Virtual Recruiting and Diverse Hiring