Platforms aimed at finding warehouse workers, retail workers, subject-matter experts and drivers recently announced funding rounds along with one startup that aims to use AI and psychology to match workers with jobs.

WorkStep

WorkStep, an online platform aimed at helping supply chain employers find and retain workers, announced $18 million in funding today. The money is a combination of $6.7 million in seed funding and $10.5 million in series A funding. It will go toward improving and expanding technology as well as growing the San Francisco-based company’s team.

“This past year, we saw increasing dependence on supply chain labor to fulfill our basic needs,” said Dan Johnston, Co-founder and CEO of WorkStep. “But with record turnover leaving supply chains understaffed and the remaining workers stretched thin, WorkStep’s technology that improves new-hire fit and lifts post-hire satisfaction is crucial to retaining this critical worker segment.”

WorkStep was founded in 2017 and says it aims to provide alternatives to staffing firms. The company’s platform works to source and retain workers in the US supply chain. It also describes its product as an employee lifecycle management software platform. Customers include industrial, logistics, transportation and warehousing employers.

The funding round was led by FirstMark Capital with additional participation by Prologis Ventures.

GoodJob

GoodJob, a platform that aims to use psychology and data science to match workers with jobs, raised $3 million in funding to increase marketing and sales efforts in major markets across the US.

Birmingham, Alabama-based GoodJob’s tools include a vetting feature that uses a machine-learning AI to sort and filter candidates and a “Path Assessment” that uses traits and behaviors with the aim of finding workers that will excel in a given workplace.

The company launched its web and mobile apps in June of 2020, primarily targeting the Birmingham market.

“Birmingham has been an ideal jumping-off point for us,” CEO Stephen Johnston said. “We’ve gotten great feedback from clients here that we’ve used to improve the product for a national audience.”

Landed

Landed, a mobile app connecting hourly food and retail workers with local employers, launched its platform and announced a seed funding round of $1.4 million. The app includes video profiles of job seekers and says it uses artificial intelligence technology to match candidates to jobs, automating much of the hiring process. The company began operations this year.

“Helping candidates find the right jobs, and helping businesses hire a qualified, more diverse staff is our passion at Landed and by using AI and ML technology and leveraging video we can make the whole process much more efficient,” founder and CEO Vivian Wang said.

Landed’s customers include franchisees for Wendy’s, Chick-fil-A and Grocery Outlet. The company currently serves seven areas: Northern California; Southern California; Virginia Beach/Chesapeake, Virginia; Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona; Atlanta; Reno, Nevada; and Dallas-Fort Worth.

The funding round was led by Javelin Venture Partners with participation from Y Combinator, Palm Drive Capital and key angel investors. Landed is based in San Francisco.

Lynk

Lynk, a platform that matches experts in a range of fields with clients, announced a $24 million funding round, TechCrunch reported. The firm operates globally. Experts on the platform including C-suite executives, financial analysts, lawyers, engineers and others are matched with clients such as investment firms, Fortune 100 companies and government entities.

Social Auto Transport

Social Auto Transport, a platform that connects clients with independent contractors to move cars, received $1.5 million in seed funding, Freightwaves reported. The Richmond, Virginia-based firm is used by car dealership networks and others to drive vehicles from one place to another using independent contractors.