Fika Jobs raises $4M to automate hiring with AI video agents

Stockholm-based startup Fika Jobs announced on Tuesday a $4 million pre-seed round—an early-stage funding round—to develop its platform, which uses AI agents to conduct video interviews with candidates. The funding round was led by Luminar Ventures, with participation from Alliance VC and King co-founders Sebastian Knutsson and Riccardo Zacconi. Fika Jobs plans to use the capital to develop the platform, grow its team, and prepare for a wider launch. By moving beyond static resumes, the platform aims to address hiring inefficiencies and opacity by evaluating communication skills and personality traits that are difficult to assess on paper.

For job seekers, the platform is entirely free. Candidates complete a roughly 10-minute video interview with an AI agent, which is currently powered by Gemini, Google’s AI model. Fika Jobs monetizes the service by charging employers only when a successful hire is made. The pricing structure is designed to compete with traditional recruitment agencies:

• Fika Jobs charges employers 10% of a candidate’s first-year salary upon a successful hire.
• Traditional recruiters and headhunters typically charge placement fees ranging from 20% to 30%.

The startup has already seen early interest ahead of its broader public launch, which is expected this fall following an early access opening this week. More than 100 companies are currently on the waitlist, and more than 50 companies have already tested the platform. To support this growth, Fika Jobs expects to reach around 10 employees by the end of the year, up from its current small team. The company will initially focus on Sweden before expanding internationally.

The idea for the platform came from co-founders Jakob Dubois, who serves as CEO, and Alexander Dubois, the CTO. The brothers were inspired by their own past recruiting struggles at their previous startup. Jakob Dubois noted that they spent a lot of time recruiting and almost passed on a candidate because his resume did not stand out, but within minutes of speaking with him, his drive and ambition became obvious.

However, the shift to video-first profiles introduces significant challenges. Fika Jobs acknowledges that video profiles introduce real bias risks. Specifically, when employers can see a candidate’s race, age, gender, physical appearance, and accent before evaluating their qualifications, it opens the door to discrimination.

Why it matters

Fika Jobs is attempting to solve the “black box” of hiring by replacing static resumes with AI-evaluated video profiles, aiming to capture soft skills that traditional screening often misses. If successful, the platform could help employers assess communication skills and cultural fit early in the hiring process, though it must navigate the inherent bias risks of video-first screening.