Applied

What Applied does

Applied (Be Applied Ltd) is an AI-powered, skills-based recruitment software platform that helps organizations hire without unconscious bias. Founded in 2016 as the first and only spin-out from the UK's Behavioural Insights Team (Nudge Unit), the company was co-founded by Kate Glazebrook, Theo Fellgett, and Rich Marr as a social-mobility project aimed at making recruitment more predictive and fair. The platform unifies the end-to-end hiring workflow through a suite of modules: Applied SIFT (validated cognitive assessment and shortlisting), AI Screener (AI-assisted candidate evaluation using Anthropic Claude on AWS Bedrock), Mapped/NST (numerical and analytical testing), JDAT (job description bias analysis), CV Redaction (anonymized resume screening), AI Text Detection (Pangram-powered integrity flagging), and Recruitment Analytics & Reporting.

Underlying the product is a combination of proprietary behavioral-science methodology — with cognitive assessments tested across millions of candidates — and third-party AI models (Anthropic Claude for CV parsing and response scoring, OpenAI ChatGPT for question and rubric generation, Pangram for AI-text detection). Applied operates on an annual subscription SaaS model with quote-based pricing, demo-led sales motion, and a freemium trial layer for select features. Customers are mid-market and enterprise organizations in publishing (HarperCollins, Penguin Random House), nonprofit (Comic Relief, Wellcome Trust, SSAFA), sports (England & Wales Cricket Board), venture capital (Blackbird Ventures), and government (Citizens Advice Wirral).

In February 2026, Applied was acquired by Phenom, a Philadelphia-headquartered applied AI company for HR, integrating Applied's evidence-based assessments into Phenom's broader talent experience platform to deliver skills-first hiring at enterprise scale. The company holds B Corp, Cyber Essentials Plus, and GDPR / EU AI Act-compliant status. As of the acquisition, Applied operates as a brand within Phenom's portfolio with no independent funding activity after its March 2020 round.

Name

Applied

Legal name

Be Applied Ltd

Website

https://beapplied.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Applied (Be Applied Ltd) is an AI-powered, skills-based recruitment platform that helps enterprises and mid-market organizations reduce hiring bias through validated cognitive assessments, anonymized CV screening, and AI-assisted shortlisting. It was acquired by Phenom in February 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recruitment Software

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) & Applicant Tracking (ATS) (BPACAPAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Skills Assessment & Talent/Employability Testing Platforms (EDAFADAM), Assessment Analytics & Item/Question Intelligence (IRT, Item Banks, Diagnostic Insights) (EDAFAFAG)

Keywords

• Skills-based hiring
• Debiased recruitment
• AI hiring platform
• Cognitive assessment
• Talent management

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription SaaS: Applied operates on a subscription basis with billing in advance on recurring periodic basis (Subscription Period). Customers pay charges specified in Order within 14 days or per selected billing method. Subscription renews automatically for 12-month periods unless notice is given.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Applied (Be Applied Ltd) is an AI-powered, skills-based recruitment software platform that helps organisations hire without unconscious bias. The platform delivers evidence-based cognitive assessments, AI-assisted candidate screening, anonymised CV review, and job description bias analysis to evaluate candidates on demonstrated capabilities rather than credentials. Following its February 2026 acquisition by Phenom, the technology is being integrated into Phenom's broader talent experience platform.

Product overview

Applied (Be Applied Ltd) is an AI-powered, skills-based recruitment software platform that helps organisations hire without unconscious bias. The platform is a unified, end-to-end talent management system comprising a core suite of modules including Applied SIFT (skills-based cognitive assessment and shortlisting), AI Screener (AI-assisted screening), Mapped/NST (numerical skills testing), JDAT (job description bias analysis), CV Redaction (anonymised CV screening), and Recruitment Analytics & Reporting. Additional AI features include an AI Text Detection tool that flags AI-generated candidate responses, and a CV parsing function that transforms unstructured resumes into structured data for anonymous review. The platform integrates behavioural economics principles to deliver evidence-based hiring, evaluating candidates on demonstrated capabilities rather than credentials or CVs. Applied was acquired by Phenom in February 2026, and its technology is being integrated into Phenom's broader talent experience platform to power skills-first hiring at enterprise scale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Applied SIFT Skills-based hiring feature using Applied's proven predictor of candidate performance based on adaptive cognitive assessments validated across millions of candidates. Targets hiring organisations seeking to assess candidates on actual capabilities rather than credentials or CVs.
• AI Screener AI-powered shortlisting feature that helps hiring teams efficiently and accurately evaluate candidate responses while maintaining fairness and reducing unconscious bias in the screening process. Uses Anthropic Claude via AWS Bedrock for CV parsing and response analysis.
• Mapped/NST Numerical, analytical, and problem-solving skills assessment tool with preset tests that measure candidates' cognitive abilities for specific roles.
• JDAT (Job Description Analysis Tool) Job description analysis tool that decodes and restructures job postings to remove biased or exclusive language, ensuring they are inclusive and unbiased before posting.
• CV Redaction CV anonymisation and screening feature that redacts personal identifying information from resumes, enabling fair and unbiased shortlisting based purely on skills and experience.
• Recruitment Analytics & Reporting Reporting and analytics dashboard providing real-time recruitment metrics and data insights, replacing spreadsheets with comprehensive, data-driven hiring reports across the talent lifecycle.
• AI Text Detection Tool AI-powered detection feature that analyses candidate written responses to flag those highly likely to have been generated using AI (e.g., ChatGPT), helping hiring teams maintain assessment integrity. Uses Pangram Labs model flagging responses with predicted AI likelihood of 0.95 or above.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% chance of missing best candidates with traditional CV-based methods, mostly from under-represented backgrounds
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PhenomflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2026Phenom acquired Applied in February 2026, integrating Applied's adaptive cognitive assessment technology into Phenom's AI-powered hiring automation platform. The acquisition enables enterprise-scale skills-first hiring by embedding skills validation directly into hiring workflows, eliminating separate assessment platforms and manual handoffs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• TestGorilla: TestGorilla is a pre-employment skills-assessment platform offering a library of tests (cognitive, personality, skills) for HR teams. It is a direct peer to Applied's SIFT and Mapped/NST modules, targeting the same skills-based screening use case for mid-market and enterprise hiring teams.
• Pymetrics: Pymetrics builds neuroscience-based behavioral assessments for hiring and talent management. It overlaps directly with Applied's cognitive and behavioral-science assessment approach, serving enterprise HR teams seeking bias-mitigated, predictive candidate evaluation.
• HireVue: HireVue provides AI-driven video interviewing, assessments, and hiring workflows for enterprise. It competes with Applied in AI-assisted candidate evaluation and structured hiring, particularly for high-volume enterprise screening use cases.
• Filtered: Filtered is a skills-based assessment and interviewing platform focused on reducing bias and predicting job performance. It mirrors Applied's combination of cognitive assessments, structured interviews, and skills-first screening.
• Codility: Codility offers skills-based technical assessments and coding tests for engineering hiring. While more technical-role focused, it competes with Applied's Mapped/NST module and broader skills-assessment positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Eightfold AI: Eightfold AI is a talent intelligence platform using AI for recruiting, retention, and workforce planning. It is a broader incumbent in AI hiring that overlaps with Applied's skills-matching capabilities, but at a much larger enterprise scale and scope.
• Phenom: Phenom is an applied-AI talent experience platform that acquired Applied in February 2026. As Applied's parent, it is the natural broad-incumbent comparison: Phenom provides the enterprise hiring-automation surface into which Applied's assessments are now embedded.
• Workday: Workday is a leading HCM and talent acquisition suite with embedded AI-driven hiring capabilities. It is a broad incumbent competing for the same enterprise HR-tech budget as Applied-Phenom, though Workday's offerings span the full HR stack rather than specializing in skills assessment.
• iCIMS: iCIMS is an enterprise talent acquisition platform with AI-driven candidate matching and assessment integrations. It overlaps with Applied's ATS-adjacent screening use cases as a broader incumbent in enterprise recruiting software.
• Greenhouse: Greenhouse is a structured hiring platform and ATS used by mid-market and enterprise teams. It is comparable as a horizontal hiring platform where Applied's skills-assessment and bias-mitigation features can be layered in alongside core ATS workflows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/beapplied
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/beapplied
• Instagraminstagram.com/be_applied

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors8 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 Applied