STARTUP-STORIES

Vahan Secures $10 Million to Expand AI Recruitment for Blue-Collar Workforce

SUMMARY

1. Vahan, a recruitment platform for blue-collar workers, raised $10 million led by Khosla Ventures to enhance AI recruitment technology and expand into sectors like manufacturing and retail.

2. Vahan, which facilitates 25,000 hires monthly and has placed over 500,000 workers, aims to support interviews in multiple Indian languages and grow beyond the gig economy with its new funding.

Recruitment platform Vahan has raised $10 million in a funding round led by existing investor Khosla Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, Gaingels, and Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma. The fresh capital will fuel the development of Vahan’s AI-powered recruitment technology and support the expansion of its job verticals.

Expanding AI Capabilities and Recruitment Verticals

Vahan's AI Recruiter, which currently conducts interviews in English and Hindi, will soon support eight major Indian languages and hundreds of dialects. According to founder and CEO Madhav Krishna, the platform currently facilitates the hiring of 25,000 workers each month, primarily focusing on gig workers. However, with the new funding, Vahan aims to expand into other sectors like manufacturing, warehousing, and retail.

Significant Growth in Blue-Collar Recruitment

Since its founding in 2016, Vahan has placed over 500,000 workers across 480+ cities in India. Clients include industry giants such as Zomato, Swiggy, Flipkart, Amazon, and Uber. Krishna noted that these new sectors could surpass the gig economy in size, with millions employed in manufacturing and retail.

Khosla Ventures on Vahan's Impact

“As an early supporter, I’ve seen how Vahan is redefining recruitment for India's blue-collar workforce,” said Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures. He praised Vahan’s innovative approach, which reduces repetitive tasks and opens up meaningful employment opportunities at scale.

With this round, Vahan builds on its previous $8 million fundraise, positioning itself to make a significant impact in India's blue-collar recruitment ecosystem.