Skillit, a recruiting platform for full-time construction labor, has recently raised $5.1 million in a seed funding round.
The round was led by Building Ventures with participation from MetaProp, HOLT Ventures, Great North Ventures, 1Sharpe Ventures, and TakeOff Capital.
Founded in 2021 by Fraser Patterson, a former carpenter and general contractor, Skillit connects the supply of skilled workers with contractor demand in the $1.6 trillion annual construction industry. The company is on a mission to solve the skilled labor crisis by delivering technology and data solutions that meet the needs of both skilled workers and construction companies alike.
Skillit vets workers with proprietary, trade-specific assessments, while collecting hundreds of data points to create the first rich, taxonomized view of skilled construction labor across the entire employee lifecycle. It enables sourcing, skills assessment, hiring, training, evaluation, and win-back on one single platform, which the company claims “meaningfully improves workforce ROI for contractors facing record labor shortages.”
Fraser Patterson, Founder & CEO, Skillit, said,
Deskless workers make up 80 percent of the global workforce. In construction they are the foundation of the built world and make the $1.6T in annual construction spending happen. Yet we know almost nothing about them because there have been very few purpose-built solutions that meet the needs of both skilled workers and hiring managers.
…..Trade talent doesn’t want gig work, and they don’t want to be constantly marketing themselves. They want opportunities to be a part of something larger and to grow their skills and their careers. At Skillit, we connect the supply of workers with massive contractor demand and we do it surgically so that builders can hire the right people at the right times.
Skillit’s platform provides leading ENR contractors with vetted candidate profiles, custom matching, automated workflows, data-driven compensation, and labor market insights, enabling the hiring experience for both contractor and worker smoother, quicker, and more successful.
Building Ventures Co-founder and General Partner Jesse Devitte said,
Skillit is solving the single greatest challenge facing builders today: the hiring and retention of skilled craft workers. When we met Fraser, we were impressed not only by his passion for solving construction’s labor problem but also by his conviction that technology and data can empower hiring managers and employees alike.
…..We have already witnessed genuine excitement for Skillit from many of our general contractor partners, and we’re excited about the future. With the seed round, Fraser and the Skillit team will open new regional markets, refine the product offering with real customer usage and feedback, and ultimately move the recruitment and retention of skilled labor into the 21st century.
The New York-based company plans to use the funds to develop its product offerings and expand operations, building out a team across product development, engineering, customer success, and sales.
