Underdog.io
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Underdog.io firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Underdog.io
- Legal name
- Quantum Leap Innovations, Inc.
- Website
- https://underdog.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Underdog.io industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Talent Marketplace
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Services (5613)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) & Applicant Tracking (ATS) (BPACAPAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops) (BPACAKAG), Career Services & Job Placement Platforms (Jobs, Recruiting, Employer Networks) (EDAFAMAM)
Keywords
Where Underdog.io is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Underdog.io business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Pay-Per-Placement Fees: Companies pay a percentage of the hired candidate's first-year base salary only upon successful hire. No upfront costs for browsing candidates or using job matching. The fee is 11.5% for single placements.
- Subscription Plans: Premium plan at $850/month with reduced per-hire costs ($6,500). Unlimited Hiring annual subscription provides unlimited placements for one fixed price. Both plans include access to the full candidate database and ATS integrations.
- Contingent Recruitment (Hunt): Underdog.io's team of vetted tech recruiters engaged on a contingent basis for hard-to-fill roles. Companies pay below-market hiring rates for dedicated recruiter support paired with Underdog.io's exclusive candidate pool.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Pay Per Placement - Zero monthly cost, pay only upon successful hire |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium - Monthly subscription with discounted per-hire rates |
| Subscription | Annual | Unlimited Hiring - Annual subscription for unlimited placements |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Hunt by Underdog.io - Contingent recruiter-assisted hiring |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Underdog.io product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Underdog.io operates a curated, invite-only two-sided talent marketplace that connects pre-vetted software engineers, designers, product managers, and data professionals with hiring companies, primarily venture-backed startups and select enterprises. The platform screens candidates (accepting only the top 5-10%), releases them in weekly cohorts, and uses AI-driven matching to deliver interview-ready candidates to hiring managers. Companies access the talent pool through a pay-per-placement model (11.5% of first-year base salary), a Premium subscription, an Unlimited Hiring annual subscription, or a contingent recruiter-assisted Hunt service.
Product overview
Underdog.io operates as a curated talent marketplace connecting software engineers, designers, product managers, and business professionals with founders, executives, and hiring managers at growing technology companies. The platform is structured around two core products: the Job Matching platform, which uses algorithmic matching to connect hiring managers with pre-vetted candidates from a pool of 350K+ talent, and the Hire Software Developers service, which specializes in connecting companies with top-tier engineers. Additional offerings include the Hunt by Underdog.io contingent search service for hard-to-fill roles, and three pricing tiers (Pay Per Placement, Premium, and Unlimited Hiring) providing flexibility for companies of different sizes and hiring needs. The platform releases candidates in curated weekly cohorts and includes a confidential profile feature that hides candidates from their current employers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Job Matching
- Hire Software Developers
- Hunt by Underdog.io
Quantifiable outcome
- 65%+ candidate response rate vs. industry average
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Underdog.io
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Underdog.io technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability3 records
Feature5 records
Underdog.io partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AshbycoreAshby is a recruiting platform enabling high-growth companies to hire efficiently with features for the entire recruiting process. Underdog.io integration allows seamless candidate export to Ashby ATS.
- GreenhousecoreGreenhouse delivers a complete hiring solution used by thousands of companies including Cisco Meraki and Pinterest. Underdog.io integrates directly with Greenhouse for seamless candidate management.
- LevercoreLever is a Talent Acquisition Suite providing complete ATS and CRM capabilities. Integration enables Underdog.io customers to manage candidates through LeverTRM.
- WorkablecoreWorkable is a leading hiring platform used by 20,000+ companies to hire 1.3 million candidates since 2012. Partnership allows Underdog.io candidates to be imported directly.
- Interview CakeminorInterview Cake provides interactive mock interview tools for software engineers. Underdog.io users receive 20% discount on Interview Cake services.
- Interview KickstartminorInterview Kickstart offers tailored interview prep courses for 17 high-demand tech domains. Courses designed and taught by instructors from FAANG+ companies.
- Interviewing.iominorInterviewing.io provides practice technical interviews with engineers from Google and Facebook. Underdog.io users get $10 off their first premium interview.
- Free AgencyminorFree Agency provides career coaching, interview prep, job search automation, and negotiation support for tech professionals. Partnership rounds out Underdog.io's hiring marketplace.
- TopResumeminorTopResume provides professional resume writing services. Underdog.io users can get a free resume review by industry experts.
- VestedminorVested provides education and risk-free funding to exercise stock options. Partnership helps candidates understand equity when evaluating job offers from Underdog.io hiring partners.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Underdog.io competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Toptal: Toptal operates a curated marketplace connecting companies with the top 3% of freelance software engineers, designers, and product managers. Highly comparable two-sided curated model targeting the same engineer/PM candidate pool with similar employer-side value proposition.
- Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent): Wellfound is a startup-focused job marketplace that connects early-stage and growth-stage startups with technical and operational talent. Direct competitor in the startup hiring marketplace category with overlapping target customers and candidates.
- Hired: Hired is a curated marketplace where job-seeking engineers and sales talent receive interview requests from companies. Operates a similar marketplace model for tech talent with company-driven candidate matching, directly competing for the same customer base.
- Triplebyte: Triplebyte uses technical assessments and a matching engine to connect vetted engineers with companies. Overlaps with Underdog.io's pre-vetting and algorithmic matching approach for engineering talent, with a similar value proposition to startup and enterprise employers.
Broad incumbents
- LinkedIn (Talent Solutions): LinkedIn is the dominant professional network and offers recruiter sourcing, InMail, and AI-assisted candidate matching. While much broader, it competes directly for employer recruiting budgets and is the primary alternative for candidate-side job search.
- Greenhouse: Greenhouse is a leading ATS platform with built-in sourcing and CRM capabilities. While primarily an ATS rather than a marketplace, it competes for the same recruiting workflow budget and integrates with Underdog.io as both partner and potential substitute.
- ZipRecruiter: ZipRecruiter is a large-scale job marketplace with AI matching for employers across all verticals. Much broader and higher-volume than Underdog.io, but competes for employer recruiting spend and candidate attention in the same general category.
- Indeed: Indeed is the largest global job search engine and marketplace. While it serves a much broader set of roles and geographies, it is a substitute product for both candidates and employers evaluating recruiting channels.
Regional players
- Honeypot: Honeypot (now part of Xing/NEW WORK SE) was a European tech talent marketplace focused on vetted software engineers. Operates a similar curated marketplace model but serves European employers and candidates rather than the US market.
Emerging players
- Moonhub: Moonhub is an AI-powered recruiting platform that sources and screens candidates using large language models. Represents the emerging AI-native wave of recruiting tools that could compete with curated marketplaces by automating the vetting function.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Underdog.io social profiles
Digital presenceUnderdog.io financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Underdog.io leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Underdog.io funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Underdog.io M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Underdog.io
What does Underdog.io do?
Underdog.io operates a curated, invite-only two-sided talent marketplace that connects pre-vetted software engineers, designers, product managers, and data professionals with hiring companies, primarily venture-backed startups and select enterprises. The platform screens candidates (accepting only the top 5-10%), releases them in weekly cohorts, and uses AI-driven matching to deliver interview-ready candidates to hiring managers. Companies access the talent pool through a pay-per-placement model (11.5% of first-year base salary), a Premium subscription, an Unlimited Hiring annual subscription, or a contingent recruiter-assisted Hunt service.
Is Underdog.io a public or private company?
Underdog.io is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Underdog.io founded?
Underdog.io was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Underdog.io based?
Underdog.io is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Underdog.io make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Pay-Per-Placement Fees are the primary driver. The others are subscription Plans and contingent Recruitment (Hunt).
Who are Underdog.io's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Toptal, Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent), Hired and Triplebyte. Broad incumbents are LinkedIn (Talent Solutions), Greenhouse, ZipRecruiter and Indeed. Honeypot is listed as a regional player. Moonhub is listed as an emerging player.
Does Underdog.io have an API?
No public API is recorded for Underdog.io.
What industry is Underdog.io in?
Underdog.io's product category is Talent Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAPAD, Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) & Applicant Tracking (ATS), with a secondary code of BPACAKAG, Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops). Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.