What Shortlist does

Shortlist is a private human capital solutions company, legally domiciled in the US as Shortlist Professionals, Inc., that operates a dual-product model targeting impact-first employers and funders active in Africa. Its core offering, Shortlist Search, delivers executive search and recruitment process outsourcing for leadership and mid-level roles across sectors including financial services, climate and clean energy, education, professional services, and venture capital and impact investing. The division employs a global team of 40+ consultants from 10+ countries, distributed across offices in Nairobi (headquarters), London, Dublin, New York, Cairo, Pune, France, and Nigeria, and runs a proprietary candidate matching workflow supported by structured assessments (personality tests, voice and written evaluations). Pricing is quote-based with custom multi-year engagements, and the customer base includes KPMG, Microsoft, Coca-Cola Kwanza, and Coca-Cola Bottlers Association among others.

The second product line, Shortlist Futures, is a workforce innovation lab funded by philanthropic and development grants from the Mastercard Foundation, the Gates Foundation, the UK Government (via TEA and FCDO), GEAPP, CFYE, and other partners. Futures designs and implements multi-year youth employment programs — including the Energy Access Talent Initiative (EATI), Women for Green Jobs, Off-Grid Talent Initiative, and the Gender & AI Livelihoods (GAIL) program — placing candidates into clean energy, digital economy, and growth-sector roles across 25 African countries, with reported outcomes of 6,000+ youth placed, $30M+ in incremental income, and $540M+ in projected ten-year income impact.

Commercially, Shortlist monetizes through retained and contingency executive search fees, recruitment process outsourcing, and program-based grants and managed services fees from foundations. Its go-to-market is sales-led B2B, combining direct employer engagement via its consultant network with foundation-funded program delivery through partners such as the African Management Institute and Value for Women. The company also operates the Africa Climate Careers Network sub-brand as a focused climate talent platform and publishes research (green jobs forecasting, gender equity in clean energy) distributed through media partners including The Guardian and CNBC Africa.

Name

Shortlist

Legal name

Shortlist Professionals, Inc.

Website

https://shortlist.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shortlist is a private human capital firm operating a dual executive search and workforce innovation business for impact-first employers and foundations across Africa, delivering leadership hiring, recruitment process outsourcing, and grant-funded youth employment programs across 25 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search and Workforce Solutions

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Campus / Early Careers RPO (BPACABAJ), Learning Management (LMS) & Talent Development (BPACAPAG), Recruitment Marketing & Employer Branding for RPO (BPACABAL)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Workforce innovation programs
• Talent matching platform
• Leadership recruitment Africa
• Youth employment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Retained and contingency search fees for executive and leadership placements across Africa and beyond. Services include candidate sourcing, screening, assessment, and placement for mission-critical roles.
2. Workforce Innovation Programs: Program-based funding from foundations and development organizations (Mastercard Foundation, Gates Foundation, UK Government via TEA) to create employment outcomes for African youth. Shortlist receives grants and program fees to design and implement workforce development initiatives.
3. Recruitment Process Outsourcing: RPO and talent advisory services for employers seeking vetted talent pools and recruitment process support

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Shortlist provides executive search and recruitment process outsourcing through its Shortlist Search division, placing transformational leaders into impact-driven organizations across Africa and beyond. Through its Shortlist Futures division, the company designs and implements workforce innovation programs that source, train, and place African youth into jobs in the green and digital economies, funded by philanthropic and government partners. Supporting offerings include the Africa Climate Careers Network platform and a library of research reports on talent and workforce trends.

Product overview

Shortlist offers a dual-product portfolio consisting of Shortlist Search (executive search for leadership hiring across Africa and beyond) and Shortlist Futures (workforce innovation lab driving employment through youth job creation programs). The company also operates the Africa Climate Careers Network and provides a Resources library of research publications. Shortlist primarily serves impact-first organizations including global foundations, professional services firms, and venture-backed organizations across sectors including Financial Services, Climate & Clean Energy, Technology, Healthcare, Agriculture, and Nonprofits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shortlist Search Executive search service for leadership hiring in Africa and beyond, connecting impactful organizations with transformational leaders for hard-to-fill and mission-critical roles through retained and contingency search mandates.
• Shortlist Futures Workforce innovation lab driving employment, growth, and impact in Africa through innovative workforce programs focused on the green economy, digital economy, and other growth sectors.
• Africa Climate Careers Network A dedicated platform focused on climate-related career opportunities across Africa, connecting talent with employers in the green economy sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,000+ youth placed into jobs under workforce programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Mastercard FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Shortlist selected as East African placement partner for Mastercard Foundation's Associates Program, placing 220+ young professionals in jobs with employers across East Africa for 12 months. The program offers valuable work experience for early career professionals while employers benefit from vetted, subsidized talent.
• The Gates FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership for Gender & AI Livelihoods (GAIL) Program focused on identifying, funding, and learning alongside organizations testing rapid-cycle experiments using AI as an income builder and livelihood creator for women in sub-Saharan Africa.
• African Management Institute (AMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic implementation partner for workforce programs including EATI and Off-Grid Talent Initiative. AMI provides learning and development components for youth placements in clean energy companies.
• Value for WomensecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with GEAPP on Women for Green Jobs initiative to improve representation and success of women in African energy access sector.
• Oxford University (Africa Oxford Ubuntu Transitions)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerShortlist connects African Oxford graduates with leading employers across the continent through Ubuntu Transitions program, supporting career development through experiential learning opportunities.
• MicrosoftsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerShortlist was screening partner for Microsoft's Interns4Afrika program, screening over 30,000 candidates and placing 250 interns with Microsoft partner organizations across Africa and Middle East.
• AndelasecondaryTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to adapt Shortlist's tech platform to power Andela Talent Marketplace, connecting employers in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda with top ALC graduates and Andela Alumni.
• Business FinlandsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner for Business Finland's Talent Boost Programme in India, helping Finnish tech and gaming companies identify and screen Indian professionals for relocation to Finland.
• KPMG East AfricasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported KPMG's graduate recruitment efforts across East Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania) from 2017-2019, screening over 45,000 applicants.
• Coca-Cola KwanzasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped and led recruitment for Coca-Cola Kwanza's Graduate in Training (GIT) Program, an accelerated development program for young professionals in Tanzania.
• Carbon TrustsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with FCDO for Off-Grid Talent Initiative supporting youth employment in energy access sector across Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Women WorksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UK Kenya Tech Hub to design Kenya Small Business Leaders Program, matching 15 experts with tech-enabled small businesses for 3-month paid secondments.
• LGT Venture PhilanthropysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported LGT Impact Fellowship recruitment for two years, reviewing and screening over 4,400 business professionals globally for placements into LGT portfolio organizations.
• Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights & Ashoka UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported Child Rights Fellowship program reviewing and screening 10,000+ profiles to identify top 1% of applicants for child rights reform work in Delhi.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Andela: Africa-focused tech talent marketplace connecting vetted African engineers with global employers. Comparable to Shortlist on talent matching for African professionals and has an explicit partnership with Shortlist powering its Talent Marketplace; represents both a partner and an emerging competitor in digital talent placement.
• Generation: Global nonprofit providing employment placement and training programs for underserved youth. Closest direct comparator to Shortlist Futures on workforce development outcomes, employer matching, and foundation-funded delivery model, though operates at much larger scale.
• Signium Africa: Executive search firm with dedicated Africa practice serving multinationals, development organizations, and family businesses across the continent. Closest direct competitor to Shortlist Search in geographic specialization and sector mix.
• Pedersen & Partners: Global executive search firm with active frontier and emerging markets practice. Competes with Shortlist for senior appointments in Africa, fintech, and impact investing, with similar cross-border mandate capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong Africa presence and impact-sector mandates. Comparable to Shortlist Search in placing transformational leaders for mission-driven organizations, but operates at significantly larger scale globally.
• Spencer Stuart: One of the leading global executive search firms with active practice serving nonprofits, foundations, and impact investors. Competes with Shortlist Search on senior appointments across the same impact-first client base, particularly for board and CEO roles.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm offering executive search, talent assessment, and RPO services. Overlaps with both Shortlist Search (executive placements) and Shortlist Futures (RPO and workforce advisory) at much broader scale and with deeper technology platforms.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with growing presence in Africa and emerging markets. Directly competes with Shortlist Search for senior leadership mandates in financial services, technology, and impact-driven organizations, though it serves a much broader global client base.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with established emerging markets and social enterprise practices. Competes with Shortlist for leadership roles in development finance, global health, and climate organizations across Africa.
• Odgers Berndtson: International executive search firm with strong emerging markets and development sector practice. Directly comparable to Shortlist Search for senior leadership appointments in Africa-focused nonprofits, multilaterals, and impact investors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shortlist-hires
• Xx.com/Shortlisthires
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShortlistProfessionals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors9 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 Shortlist