Spott, a Leuven-based AI-native recruitment platform, has raised €18.3 million ($21 million) in Series A funding. The round was led by Balderton Capital, with participation from Base10 Partners, Y Combinator, and Fortino.
TL;DR
- Spott raises €18.3M to expand its AI-native recruitment platform and grow its team.
- The funding will support US and APAC expansion, new enterprise features, and agentic AI development.
- Spott aims to defragment the recruitment industry by consolidating legacy tools into an AI-powered workspace.
What happened
Spott, founded in 2024 by Lander Degreve, Manu Vanderveeren, and Samuel Smeys, has raised €18.3 million ($21 million) in Series A funding. The round was led by Balderton Capital, with participation from Base10 Partners, Y Combinator, and Fortino. This follows a €2.8 million ($3.2 million) Seed round raised in March 2025.
The company's AI-native platform combines applicant tracking and customer relationship management, targeting the recruitment industry's reliance on outdated, disconnected software. Spott argues that AI can handle 80% of a recruiter's workload, leaving human judgment for final decisions.
Spott's revenue has grown more than tenfold since the start of 2026, with hundreds of agencies as customers, including H.W. Anderson and the CGP Group. The platform is used across Europe, the US, and APAC, with 20% of revenue coming from APAC and 15% from the US.
Why it matters
For developers and startups, Spott's success highlights the growing demand for AI-native solutions in the recruitment industry. The platform's focus on defragmenting legacy tools and consolidating them into an AI-powered workspace presents an opportunity for innovation and disruption.
Investors should watch Spott's expansion into the US and APAC markets, as well as its development of new enterprise features and agentic AI capabilities. The company's rapid revenue growth and customer adoption demonstrate strong market potential.
The competitive angle lies in Spott's ability to differentiate itself from legacy recruitment tools by leveraging AI to streamline workflows and improve efficiency. The platform's focus on putting AI to work around recruiters, rather than replacing them, could be a key factor in its success.
Key facts
- Spott raised €18.3 million ($21 million) in Series A funding, led by Balderton Capital, with participation from Base10 Partners, Y Combinator, and Fortino.
- The company previously raised €2.8 million ($3.2 million) in a Seed round in March 2025.
- Spott's revenue has grown more than tenfold since the start of 2026.
- The platform is used by hundreds of agencies, including H.W. Anderson and the CGP Group, across Europe, the US, and APAC.
- 20% of Spott's revenue comes from the APAC region, and 15% from the US.
- The new funding will support expansion into the US and APAC, new enterprise features, and the development of agentic AI capabilities.
- Spott plans to open offices in Sydney and New York and grow its headcount from 44 to around 60 by the end of the year.
- The company was founded in 2024 by Lander Degreve, Manu Vanderveeren, and Samuel Smeys, who previously advised recruitment businesses at McKinsey, Bain, and BCG.
Context
The recruitment industry has long relied on outdated, disconnected software for candidate databases, sourcing, outreach, note-taking, and scheduling. Spott aims to defragment the space with an AI-native workspace that turns emails, CVs, and pipeline data into searchable and actionable intelligence.
The company's focus on putting AI to work around recruiters, rather than replacing them, aligns with the broader trend in AI of augmenting human capabilities rather than replacing them. This approach could help Spott gain traction in an industry that values human judgment and relationships.
Spott's success also highlights the growing demand for AI-native solutions in the recruitment industry. As more companies look to streamline their hiring processes and improve efficiency, platforms like Spott are well-positioned to capitalize on this trend.
