Zinc

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.

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

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

• Background check software
• Employee screening platform
• Pre-employment verification
• HR compliance checks
• Criminal record checks

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Enterprise Volume Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing for organizations with high-volume hiring needs. Includes dedicated support and full service coverage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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

Named customers15 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability8 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• OnfidocoreTechnology or IntegrationIdentity 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 servicessupportingTechnology or IntegrationSub-processor supporting international criminal record checks. Located at 16/18 rue Gaillon, 75002 Paris, France. Data processing occurs in France.
• uChecksupportingTechnology or IntegrationSub-processor supporting criminal record checks in England and Wales. Located at First floor, Chiltern House, Sigford Rd, Marsh Barton, Exeter, EX2 8NL.
• TransUnionsupportingTechnology or IntegrationSub-processor for credit background checks. Located at Red Lion Buildings, Cock Ln, London, EC1A 9BU, United Kingdom.
• Mistho Services LimitedsupportingTechnology or IntegrationSub-processor for employment verification checks. Located at 27 Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1N 3AX.
• Ferretly International Inc.supportingTechnology or IntegrationSub-processor for social media checks. Located at 16 N. Washington St., Easton, MD 21601, United States.
• MongoDBsupportingTechnology or IntegrationDistributed cloud database for secure storage of encrypted candidate check data. Located at Building Two, Number One Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Ireland.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)supportingTechnology or IntegrationCloud infrastructure provider for application processing. Located at 410 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109-5210, U.S.A.
• Digital Ocean CloudsupportingTechnology or IntegrationFailover cloud service provider for application processing redundancy. Located at 101 6th Ave, New York, NY 10013, United States.
• HumaanscoreTechnology or IntegrationHRIS integration partner where check reports land automatically in employee profiles. No manual uploads required. Featured integration on Zinc marketplace.
• WorkdaycoreTechnology or IntegrationNative HRIS integration with Workday. Zinc has been recognized as a UK first with this integration.
• GreenhousecoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner for seamless background checking workflow within recruitment process.
• BambooHRcoreTechnology or IntegrationHRIS integration partner for background checking within HR management system.
• HiBobcoreTechnology or IntegrationHRIS integration partner for mid-market companies.
• SmartRecruiterscoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner for enterprise recruitment platform.
• PinpointsupportingTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner for hiring platform.
• iCIMSsupportingTechnology or IntegrationEnterprise ATS integration partner for large-scale recruitment operations.
• TeamtailorsupportingTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner for employer branding and recruitment.
• TribepadsupportingTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner for recruitment software.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct 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

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zincwork
• Xx.com/zinc_work

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zinc