Pruffi
Specialized headhunting and recruiting through social networks.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | $400k | Series A | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Pruffi is a Russian internet recruiting agency focused on sourcing key and rare specialists for various industries. The company was founded in 2010 by Alena Vladimirskaya, a prominent expert in the Russian HR and recruiting scene. Vladimirskaya established Pruffi after leaving her role as head of the talent acquisition department at Mail.ru Group, identifying a need for more exclusive sourcing channels beyond traditional methods.
The agency's business model is centered on social recruiting and crowdsourcing through recommendations. It leverages social networks like Facebook and VKontakte to find candidates, including those not actively seeking new employment, whose resumes may not be available in open sources. A key feature of its model is rewarding individuals who recommend a candidate that is successfully hired. The client company pays Pruffi a fee, typically equivalent to one or two months of the candidate's salary, only after a position is filled. A portion of this fee is then paid to the recommender.
Initially focused on the IT and internet sectors, Pruffi expanded its specializations to include media, construction, architecture, real estate, and education. The company gained significant traction by making any high-profile event a news hook, such as publicizing its intent to 'hunt' top executives or place entire teams after mass layoffs. In 2012, Pruffi raised approximately $450,000 from Almaz Capital Partners in a deal that valued the company at around four million dollars, following an initial investment of $100,000 from business angel Alexey Basov. These funds were primarily used to develop its technology platform, which includes applications for working across social networks and mobile phones.
Keywords: internet recruiting, social recruiting, headhunting, talent acquisition, crowdsource recruiting, HR tech, executive search, specialized recruitment, Russian market, Alena Vladimirskaya, candidate sourcing, recommendation-based hiring, IT recruiting, digital media recruitment, personnel selection, career consulting