What talentsconnect does

talentsconnect is a Cologne-based HR software company that sells a unified recruiting and retention platform to enterprise clients with 500+ employees, primarily in the DACH region. Its product suite comprises four core software modules: JobShop, a performance-tuned career site that the company claims generates four times more direct applications; ChatAgent, an AI-based conversational recruiting tool that runs over WhatsApp and the Web and integrates technology acquired via the December 2024 purchase of PitchYou; Preboarding, an interactive module that bridges contract signing and first day; and Talent Marketplace, an internal job board aimed at retention. These modules sit on top of a proprietary Direct-to-Talent (D2T) framework that the company describes as applying Direct-to-Consumer logic to HR.

The firm generates revenue through two streams: SaaS subscriptions for its software modules and professional services covering D2T strategy consulting, audits, hybrid HR operating models, and AI-first HR implementation. Go-to-market is consultative direct enterprise sales supplemented by content marketing, free masterclasses and webinars, and peer-review visibility on platforms such as OMR Reviews. The company claims over 600 customers and references insights drawn from 200+ million data points and 600+ customer projects to underpin both its advisory work and product development.

Talentsconnect is incorporated in Germany as talentsconnect AG (primary entity) alongside talentsconnect operations GmbH. It is privately held, with venture capital backing from Pride Capital, which provided a mezzanine financing round in March 2022 alongside participation from existing shareholders. Subsequent inorganic growth came through the December 2024 acquisition of PitchYou, a WhatsApp-based recruitment communication startup based in Leverkusen whose technology has been integrated into the ChatAgent product.

Name

talentsconnect

Legal name

talentsconnect AG

Website

https://talentsconnect-ag.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

talentsconnect is a Cologne-based HR SaaS company selling recruiting and retention software (career site, WhatsApp conversational AI, preboarding, internal talent marketplace) and D2T strategy consulting to enterprise clients with 500+ employees, primarily in the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR Software / Talent Acquisition & Retention

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Recruiting software
• Talent marketplace
• Conversational recruiting AI
• Career site platform
• Employee retention software

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Subscriptions: SaaS software products including JobShop, ChatAgent, Talent Marketplace, and Preboarding sold on subscription basis to enterprise clients
2. Consulting Services: Advisory services including Direct-to-Talent strategy consulting, audits, hybrid resources department, and AI-first HR implementation support based on insights from 200+ million data points and 600+ customer projects

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

talentsconnect sells a unified HR software platform for recruiting and retention to enterprises of 500+ employees, comprising JobShop (ultra-performant career site), ChatAgent (AI-based conversational recruiting via WhatsApp/Web), Preboarding (interactive pre-start onboarding), and Talent Marketplace (internal job board). The platform is paired with advisory services (Direct-to-Talent-Strategie, Audit, Hybrid Resources Department, AI First HR) informed by 200+ million data points from 600+ customer projects.

Product overview

talentsconnect offers a unified HR-Software platform for Recruiting and Retention targeting companies with 500+ employees. The product portfolio includes four core software modules: JobShop (ultra-performative career page for D2T recruiting), ChatAgent (AI-based conversational recruiting via WhatsApp/Web), Preboarding (interactive onboarding preparation), and Talent Marketplace (internal job board for retention). The platform is built on the Direct-to-Talent (D2T) strategy, which applies Direct-to-Consumer principles to HR. The company acquired PitchYou (WhatsApp-based recruitment communication) which was integrated into ChatAgent. Advisory services including Direct-to-Talent-Strategie, Audit, Hybrid Resources Department, and AI First HR complement the software products, supported by data insights from over 200 million data points and 600+ customer projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JobShop: Ultra-performant career site for D2T recruiting - combines performance logics of modern online shops to generate 4x more direct applications with full data sovereignty.
• ChatAgent
• Preboarding
• Talent Marketplace

Products and services

• JobShop Ultra-performant career site platform for Direct-to-Talent (D2T) recruiting that combines the performance logic of modern online shops with career pages, generating 4x more direct applications with full data sovereignty; sold on subscription basis to enterprise clients with 500+ employees.
• ChatAgent AI-based Conversational Recruiting and Engagement platform that lets candidates apply, communicate, and onboard via WhatsApp or Web chat, providing direct, personal and time-saving interactions powered by Conversational AI; sold on subscription basis to enterprise clients (PitchYou's WhatsApp-recruitment technology has been integrated into this product).
• Preboarding Interactive pre-boarding solution that engages new hires between contract signing and their first workday, allowing them to learn about the company and their tasks in advance to reduce onboarding time and prevent early turnover; sold on subscription basis to enterprise clients.
• Talent Marketplace Smart internal job board and retention booster that promotes employee development by giving staff easy access to internal career opportunities, strengthening engagement and retention; sold on subscription basis to enterprise clients.
• Conversational AI AI-powered conversational interface for recruiting interactions enabling automated yet personal candidate communication across multiple channels, underpinning ChatAgent's WhatsApp and Web engagement flows.
• Direct-to-Talent-Strategie Strategic consulting service that applies Direct-to-Consumer principles to HR, transforming recruiting and retention into a data-driven, ROI-oriented system with clear connection to business goals; sold as an advisory engagement to enterprise clients.
• Audit Consulting service auditing clients' recruiting and retention processes using insights from over 200 million data points and 600+ customer projects together with industry benchmarks; sold as an advisory engagement to enterprise clients.
• Hybrid Resources Department Advisory service for transforming HR departments into hybrid resource structures that combine internal capabilities with external support; sold as an advisory engagement to enterprise clients.
• AI First HR Strategic consulting service focused on implementing AI-first approaches in HR operations and decision-making; sold as an advisory engagement to enterprise clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4x more direct applications with full data sovereignty
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PitchYoucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2024talentsconnect acquired Leverkusen-based PitchYou, a WhatsApp-based recruitment communication startup, to expand its direct-to-talent recruiting platform. The acquisition aims to improve applicant engagement and streamline recruitment processes amid Germany's labour shortage and increasing demand for innovative hiring solutions. PitchYou's technology has been integrated into talentsconnect's ChatAgent product.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Workday: Global HCM and financial management platform with Workday Recruiting module. Comparable as a broad incumbent in HR/recruiting software with significantly larger R&D and global distribution; competes for the same enterprise recruiting wallet.
• Cornerstone OnDemand: Talent management suite including recruiting, learning and internal mobility. Comparable as an incumbent overlap on the retention side (Talent Marketplace, Preboarding) where talentsconnect competes or partners.
• SAP SuccessFactors: SAP's HCM suite with recruiting, onboarding and talent management modules. Highly relevant as a deep-entrenched incumbent in DACH enterprises that talentsconnect competes against or integrates alongside for talent acquisition.

Emerging players

• HireVue: Hiring technology combining conversational AI, assessments and interview tooling. Comparable to talentsconnect's ChatAgent/Conversational AI capabilities around AI-driven candidate engagement and structured hiring.
• Recruitee: European-origin ATS and employer-branded career site platform. Comparable on the career site and applicant tracking elements of talentsconnect's JobShop, though typically aimed at smaller employers.

Direct peers

• Personio: DACH-headquartered HR SaaS for SMB and mid-market employers, with recruiting, HRIS and people operations modules. Directly comparable as a regional HR-tech peer serving similar DACH enterprise and upper-mid-market buyers with bundled recruiting plus HR workflows.
• Greenhouse: Hiring and talent acquisition SaaS with structured interviewing, ATS and onboarding. Comparable to talentsconnect because both sell recruiting software into mid-market and enterprise employers with an emphasis on measurable hiring outcomes.
• Avature: Enterprise talent acquisition and CRM platform with ATS, onboarding and internal mobility. Comparable to talentsconnect because it similarly bundles recruiting, retention and internal mobility workflows for large global employers.
• Phenom People: Talent experience platform combining career site, CRM, conversational AI and internal mobility. Comparable to talentsconnect's JobShop, ChatAgent and Talent Marketplace bundle aimed at large-enterprise candidate and employee experience.
• SmartRecruiters: Enterprise talent acquisition suite offering ATS, CRM, and candidate experience tooling. Closely comparable to talentsconnect because both target 500+ employee employers with SaaS recruiting products and emphasize candidate experience and conversion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/talents_connect
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/22-connect-ag-talents-connect

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about talentsconnect