Zinc
Zinc is a London-based SaaS provider of automated employee background checks, serving financial services, healthcare, education, and high-volume hiring businesses across 195 countries with nine integrated screening modules and native ATS/HRIS connectivity.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Zinc does
Zinc Work Ltd is a London-based, UK-incorporated background checking SaaS provider founded in 2018, operating a cloud-based platform that automates employee screening across 195 countries. The platform consolidates nine check types — criminal records, right to work, employment verification, education verification, financial/credit checks (via TransUnion), social media screening (six platforms), CV comparison, reference checks, and qualification verification — with a candidate self-service portal and a unified reporting dashboard. Identity verification is delivered through a partnership with Onfido, providing biometric face-matching and document authentication. The platform integrates natively with major ATS and HRIS systems including Workday, Greenhouse, HiBob, BambooHR, Humaans, SmartRecruiters, iCIMS, Pinpoint, Teamtailor, and Tribepad, and maintains ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials Plus, and GDPR compliance alongside FCA, CQC, and Ofsted-aligned workflows for regulated verticals.
Zinc monetises through three pricing tiers: a pay-as-you-go self-serve plan for businesses with under 20 annual hires, an annual committed subscription with roll-over credits for SMBs with 50+ hires, and custom enterprise contracts with dedicated account management for high-volume hiring organisations. The go-to-market combines product-led self-serve onboarding, inside sales for mid-market, and dedicated enterprise field sales. Distribution is augmented by a partner marketplace, an integrator ecosystem, and The Herd community of 1,300+ HR professionals. Primary customer verticals are financial services (ClearBank, GoCardless, ClearScore, Revolut, Pleo), health and social care (Hexagon Care, Our Future Health), education and childcare (Busy Bees, TCHC), energy (Octopus Energy, EDF), and high-volume hospitality and retail (HelloFresh, Trainline, DMG Media).
The company closed a £5 million Series A in July 2023 led by AVP (AXA Venture Partners) and Seedcamp to fund expansion and product innovation, including a global right to work capability. Zinc has cumulatively completed over 2 million background checks, holds a 4.7/5 G2 rating from 150+ businesses, and operates with a headcount in the 101–250 range.
Zinc firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zinc
- Legal name
- Zinc Work Ltd
- Website
- https://zincwork.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Zinc is a London-based SaaS provider of automated employee background checks, serving financial services, healthcare, education, and high-volume hiring businesses across 195 countries with nine integrated screening modules and native ATS/HRIS connectivity.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zinc industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Background Check Software
- NAICS
- Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Identity Verification (ID, SSN Trace, KYC-lite) (BPACALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Continuous Monitoring & Post-Hire Screening (BPACALAJ), KYC/KYB & Customer Onboarding (CIP, beneficial ownership, screening) (FSAGAFAB)
Keywords
Where Zinc is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Zinc business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Pay As You Go (PAYG): Per-check pricing model where customers are charged per background check performed. No commitment required. Customers can start and stop usage at any time.
- Committed/Subscription Plans: Annual subscription with committed check volumes at predetermined pricing. Includes unused check credits that roll over to subsequent terms. 12-month initial term with auto-renewal.
- Enterprise Volume Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing for organizations with high-volume hiring needs. Includes dedicated support and full service coverage.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Pay As You Grow - Self-serve for small businesses |
| Subscription | Annual | SMB - Scalable checks for 50+ hires |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise - Volume hiring with full support |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Zinc product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zinc operates an automated cloud-based employee background checking platform that consolidates multiple verification services — criminal records, right-to-work, employment, education, financial/credit, social media, CV comparison, and reference checks — into a single integrated system covering 195 countries. The platform features a candidate self-service portal, real-time status tracking, and native integrations with major ATS and HRIS platforms (Workday, Greenhouse, BambooHR, HiBob, SmartRecruiters, Humaans, and others). Customers access the service via tiered pricing (pay-as-you-go, annual subscription, or enterprise), with biometric identity verification powered by Onfido and global data sourced through a sub-processor network.
Product overview
Zinc Work is a unified cloud-based background checking platform that consolidates multiple verification services into a single integrated system. The core platform provides nine distinct check types: Criminal Background Checks (195+ countries), Right to Work Checks (government-integrated), Employment Verification, Education Verification, Financial/Credit Checks, Social Media Screening (6 platforms), CV Comparison, and Reference Checks. The platform includes a candidate self-service portal with real-time tracking, a unified reporting dashboard with flagged results, and integrates natively with major ATS/HRIS systems including Workday, iCIMS, Greenhouse, Smartrecruiters, Humaans, and others. The service is offered through tiered pricing: Pay As You Grow (per-check, self-serve) for small businesses, Committed Annual Plans for SMBs with 50+ hires, and Enterprise solutions with full support for volume hiring organizations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Zinc Background Check Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- Background checks completed in hours instead of weeks
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Zinc
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Zinc technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability8 records
Feature12 records
Zinc partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- OnfidocoreIdentity verification provider using biometric technology for face matching against identity documents. Onfido stores biometric data securely with 90-day retention policy. Integral to Zinc's right-to-work and identity verification checks.
- iCover servicessupportingSub-processor supporting international criminal record checks. Located at 16/18 rue Gaillon, 75002 Paris, France. Data processing occurs in France.
- uChecksupportingSub-processor supporting criminal record checks in England and Wales. Located at First floor, Chiltern House, Sigford Rd, Marsh Barton, Exeter, EX2 8NL.
- TransUnionsupportingSub-processor for credit background checks. Located at Red Lion Buildings, Cock Ln, London, EC1A 9BU, United Kingdom.
- Mistho Services LimitedsupportingSub-processor for employment verification checks. Located at 27 Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1N 3AX.
- Ferretly International Inc.supportingSub-processor for social media checks. Located at 16 N. Washington St., Easton, MD 21601, United States.
- MongoDBsupportingDistributed cloud database for secure storage of encrypted candidate check data. Located at Building Two, Number One Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Ireland.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)supportingCloud infrastructure provider for application processing. Located at 410 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109-5210, U.S.A.
- Digital Ocean CloudsupportingFailover cloud service provider for application processing redundancy. Located at 101 6th Ave, New York, NY 10013, United States.
- HumaanscoreHRIS integration partner where check reports land automatically in employee profiles. No manual uploads required. Featured integration on Zinc marketplace.
- WorkdaycoreNative HRIS integration with Workday. Zinc has been recognized as a UK first with this integration.
- GreenhousecoreATS integration partner for seamless background checking workflow within recruitment process.
- BambooHRcoreHRIS integration partner for background checking within HR management system.
- HiBobcoreHRIS integration partner for mid-market companies.
- SmartRecruiterscoreATS integration partner for enterprise recruitment platform.
- PinpointsupportingATS integration partner for hiring platform.
- iCIMSsupportingEnterprise ATS integration partner for large-scale recruitment operations.
- TeamtailorsupportingATS integration partner for employer branding and recruitment.
- TribepadsupportingATS integration partner for recruitment software.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Zinc competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Checkr: US-headquartered AI-powered background check platform with broad check categories and ATS integrations. Directly comparable to Zinc in product scope (criminal, identity, employment, education, motor), PLG-led growth model, and ATS/HRIS partner strategy, though at much larger scale and primarily serving the US market.
- Certn: Canada-based background screening platform with API-first delivery and ATS/HRIS integrations targeting SMB and mid-market employers. Closely comparable to Zinc on developer-friendly API approach, modern product UX, and growth-stage positioning, though with North American geographic focus.
- Veremark: UK-headquartered international background screening platform offering criminal, employment, education, reference, and right-to-work checks with global coverage. The most directly comparable UK-based competitor to Zinc in terms of geographic focus, customer profile, and product scope.
- RefNow: UK-based reference checking and broader background screening platform targeting SMBs and mid-market employers. Directly comparable to Zinc on candidate-experience-led product design, PLG motion, and UK SMB customer base, though narrower in product scope (reference-led).
- Xref: Australia-based reference and background checking SaaS platform with global enterprise customer base and ATS integrations. Comparable to Zinc on PLG-led customer acquisition, automated reference workflows, and enterprise-credible customer logos.
Broad incumbents
- HireRight: One of the largest global employment screening providers, offering criminal, identity, employment, education, drug/health, and executive screening across 200+ countries. Comparable to Zinc on global coverage and enterprise customer profile, but operates at significantly larger scale with a more traditional service-led model.
- First Advantage: Global background screening provider covering criminal, identity, employment, education, healthcare, and fleet screening in 200+ countries. Comparable to Zinc's regulated-vertical and global-coverage strategy, but operates with a heavier service-led delivery model and broader enterprise customer base.
- Sterling: US-listed background screening and identity verification provider offering criminal, employment, education, drug/health, and continuous monitoring checks. Comparable to Zinc on identity verification and enterprise background screening, with a heavier focus on US enterprise and government clients.
Emerging players
- Onfido: UK-based identity verification provider using biometric and AI-based document verification. Already a Zinc sub-processor for right-to-work and identity checks, and a partial competitor as enterprises could buy Onfido directly for ID verification use cases outside of full background screening.
Regional players
- GBG (GBG Group): UK-headquartered identity verification and fraud/compliance specialist with global customers in financial services, gaming, and ecommerce. Comparable to Zinc's regulated financial-services customer focus and identity verification workflow, though primarily identity-led rather than full background screening.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights8 records
Customer concentration
Zinc social profiles
Digital presenceZinc compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Zinc financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zinc leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Zinc funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zinc M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Zinc
What does Zinc do?
Zinc operates an automated cloud-based employee background checking platform that consolidates multiple verification services — criminal records, right-to-work, employment, education, financial/credit, social media, CV comparison, and reference checks — into a single integrated system covering 195 countries. The platform features a candidate self-service portal, real-time status tracking, and native integrations with major ATS and HRIS platforms (Workday, Greenhouse, BambooHR, HiBob, SmartRecruiters, Humaans, and others). Customers access the service via tiered pricing (pay-as-you-go, annual subscription, or enterprise), with biometric identity verification powered by Onfido and global data sourced through a sub-processor network.
Is Zinc a public or private company?
Zinc is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Zinc founded?
Zinc was founded in 2018. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Zinc based?
Zinc is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Zinc make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Pay As You Go (PAYG) is the primary driver. The others are committed/Subscription Plans and enterprise Volume Pricing.
Who are Zinc's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Checkr, Certn, Veremark, RefNow and Xref. Broad incumbents are HireRight, First Advantage and Sterling. Onfido is listed as an emerging player. GBG (GBG Group) is listed as a regional player.
Does Zinc have an API?
Yes. Zinc offers an application programming interface (API) that allows integration with third-party applications. The Zinc API enables customers to programmatically access background check services. Customers acknowledge that integrations via the API are not part of the core Zinc Service and Zinc is not responsible for delays or losses caused by third-party applications using the API.
What industry is Zinc in?
Zinc's product category is Background Check Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACALAD, Identity Verification (ID, SSN Trace, KYC-lite), with a secondary code of BPACALAJ, Continuous Monitoring & Post-Hire Screening. Its NAICS code is 561611 and its SIC code is 7361.