The entrepreneurs behind two hospitality tech businesses, Sam Brown and Nick Holroyd-Doveton, have joined forces to launch a new venture that aims to reshape hospitality recruitment, raising £785,000 to further develop their matchmaking platform, Candid Hospitality.
The funding came from NPIF II – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia Ventures and part of the Northern Powerhouse Fund II (NPIF II), Haatch and an angel investor, and marks the first NPIF II equity investment in Hull.
Sam Brown was previously a director of Airship Services, which was also backed by Mercia and the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and was sold to Zonal in 2022, while Nick Holroyd-Doveton co-founded Omnifi, which was sold to Access Group in 2021.
Launched in February this year, the new platform has already attracted over 3,000 candidates and 100 brands including Big Table Group, Loungers, Honest Burgers, Turtle Bay, Punch Pubs, Flight Club and The Alchemist, and resulted in over 700 matches. The company plans to double the size of its team from seven to 14 in the next two years.
Nick Holroyd-Doveton, Candid co-founder, said: “Having spent years in hospitality, both Sam and I know the challenges of recruitment. Candidates are often afraid to look for a better job in case their current boss finds out, while employers spend huge sums on new hires only to find they are the wrong fit. We felt the process must be ripe for change.
“Using our industry contacts, we spoke to 60 operators and over 100 candidates and developed Candid based on their feedback. It uses the 3Cs – culture, competencies and compensation – which are key to successful hires.
“The anonymity protects candidates and removes subconscious bias, and enables employers to access ‘passive hires’ who may not be active job seekers but may be interested if the right role came along.”
Will Schaffer, investment director with Mercia Ventures, added: “Having worked with Sam previously during his time at Airship, we are pleased to back him and Nick in their latest venture.
“Candid offers an innovative solution to the challenges of hospitality recruitment and has gained rapid traction. The funding will enable the team to build on its initial success and to drive further growth.”
Jonathan Keeling, partner at Haatch, said: “We’ve backed over 150 startups at Haatch, and it’s rare to see this level of product–market fit so early on.
“Sam and Nick are proven founders with deep hospitality experience, and Candid is already delivering results for some of the UK’s most respected operators. We believe this business can redefine how hospitality recruitment is done, putting culture and competence at the heart of hiring.”
