Trade Hounds, a firm that aims to be the LinkedIn of the construction industry, announced a $3.2 million seed funding round; investors included a staffing firm. Trade Hounds, based in Boston, plans to use the funding to launch a jobs platform this summer to link tradespeople to construction industry.

“It’s always bothered me that tradespeople — the skilled workers who build our hospitals, schools and infrastructure — don’t have access to a technology platform that meets their professional needs,” said David Broomhead, co-founder and CEO. “We’ve set out to change this with Trade Hounds.”

The round was let by venture capital firms Corigin Ventures and Brick and Mortar Ventures. Other investors include Suffolk Construction, a construction firm, and CCS Construction Staffing.

The idea of a LinkedIn for blue-collar workers has appeared elsewhere as well. Jobcase, which serves workers who don't have college degrees, reported it had raised $118.5 million in equity capital since February 2018, according to an article in the latest issue of Staffing Industry Review magazine by John Nurthen, director of global research at SIA.