The Sachin and Adam Show How Paraform Raised $20M to Reinvent Recruiting
Jul 22, 2025
John Kim, co-founder and CEO of Paraform, is reshaping recruitment with a marketplace that connects companies to top external headhunters. He shares insights into raising a $20M Series A, emphasizing the importance of customer relationships. The conversation dives into using AI to enhance recruiter performance, predictions of 7-figure earnings for recruiters, and the necessity of trusted matches. Kim also reflects on his journey, the challenges of scaling a startup, and the future of hiring as the industry evolves.
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Marketplace Matches Recruiters With Demand
- Paraform is a recruiter marketplace that matches companies to external headhunters using deep recruiter data.
- The platform speeds hires by understanding recruiters' networks and track records, not by replacing human judgement.
Customers Opened Doors For The Series A
- Paraform's Series A came from customer-driven introductions and referrals from a public company CTO.
- The round mirrored their seed where customer enthusiasm led investors to invest.
Raise To Accelerate Repeatable Growth
- Raise when additional capital clearly increases growth capacity and lets you make bigger bets.
- Use a Series A to operate with a larger float and accelerate repeatable sales motions.