West Africa: Job platform secures VC investment
SociumJob, the job board that connects African companies with local and diaspora talent, has raised €1 million in funding from venture capital funds such as Breega, Teranga Capital, Kima Ventures, Techmind and Evolem Start. The start-up has also received support from business angels such as Julien Guth (managing partner of Beenok) and Dimitri Farber (co-founder of Tiller). All these players and the funds raised should enable SociumJob to accelerate its deployment in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa, by strengthening its capacities – particularly in human resources.
Launched in 2021 by Samba Lo, a Senegalese polytechnician, SociumJob deploys a new kind of platform that connects talent (based in Africa or from the diaspora) and organisations operating on the continent through a mix of content and technology. It allows African companies to promote their activity and corporate culture to candidates, and thus save time in managing applications. Currently present in Senegal and Ivory Coast, the start-up directly addresses companies looking for qualified employees and guarantees them cost, time and effort savings for maximum results in their recruitment throughout the continent.
“Professional recruitment is a real development issue for the African continent. On the one hand, organisations deplore the lack of talent and their difficulty in recruiting the right profiles. On the other hand, graduates and workers of all ages often struggle to find a position that matches their qualifications. To address this dual challenge, we created SociumJob,” said Lo.
The job market in Francophone Africa suffers from a lack of information flow between job seekers and companies. Indeed, the main tools available are online platforms, recruitment agencies and advertisements on the internet, which do not ensure sufficient market penetration.
“Teranga Capital, the first impact investment company in Senegal and The Gambia, is proud to accompany SociumJob in this new phase. We are convinced of the potential of digital technology as a solution to reduce the barriers of the job market and contribute to the development of talent on the African continent. Through our I&P Acceleration Technologies programme, a programme 100% dedicated to African digital start-ups, we will support the company in strengthening its market positioning and the skills of its team,” underlines Olivier Furdelle, co-founder and managing director of Teranga Capital.
With clients such as Orange, Mazars and Ernst & Yong (EY), SociumJob aims to double its workforce – currently standing at around 15 employees – in the coming months, by recruiting managers, salespeople, experts, and operational staff.
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