Terminal 1

What Terminal 1 does

Terminal 1 is a technology-enabled recruitment firm operating across Hong Kong (HK EA License 73715) and Taiwan (TW EA License 北市就服字第0338號), founded in 2016 by HC Shao. The firm specializes in placing software engineers, data scientists, product specialists, and other technology talent for clients ranging from Series A startups to multinational corporations in technology, fintech, banking, utilities, and telecom sectors. Its core differentiator is a hybrid operating model that pairs specialized recruiters with an in-house team of data scientists, software engineers, and product specialists who build and maintain proprietary assessment and screening tools.

The firm's product surface comprises three components: the Terminal 1 Recruitment Platform as the core offering, a Candidate Skill Assessment module covering algorithms, coding, and machine learning that produces verifiable candidate credentials, and Career Intelligence Tools including a Lifelong Career Library, Job Market Pulse, and Job Search Best Practices content. Recruitment fees are structured as transaction-based placement fees calculated as a percentage of the placed candidate's annual salary, capped at four months of salary per Taiwan Ministry of Labor regulations for Private Employment Service Agencies. Distribution combines dedicated enterprise account management for corporate clients with a self-serve job seeker portal at t1.me.

Terminal 1 reaches the market through a combination of direct enterprise sales, content marketing, LinkedIn presence, and referral-based growth. The firm has raised at least one disclosed funding round in March 2020 from SparkLabs Taiwan and 27V (Twenty Seven Ventures), but operates primarily as a founder-controlled private company. Its stated ambition is to evolve into a seamlessly integrable platform for any company building a winning team, positioning itself against traditional agencies through what leadership describes as a 'data-driven and objective' approach to recruitment.

Name

Terminal 1

Legal name

香港商壹航人事顧問有限公司台灣分公司 (Hong Kong Yi Hang Human Resources Consulting Co., Ltd. Taiwan Branch)

Website

https://t1.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Terminal 1 is a Hong Kong- and Taiwan-based, technology-enabled recruitment firm that combines specialized recruiters with proprietary assessment tools to place software engineers and tech talent for startups, enterprises, and multinational clients across APAC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wan Chai

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Placement/Introduction Fees (Employer): Fees charged to employers for successful candidate placements, calculated as a percentage of the placed candidate's annual salary. Capped at 4 months salary per Taiwan labor regulations.
2. Candidate Assessment Services: Skills assessments for job seekers (algorithms, coding tests, machine learning) that help showcase their credentials to employers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Terminal 1 is a technology-enabled recruitment firm that places software engineers, data scientists, and other technology professionals into companies across Hong Kong and Taiwan. The firm combines specialized recruiters with proprietary assessment, search-honing, and candidate credentialing tools to deliver high-touch, data-driven permanent placement services to technology companies, fintechs, and multinational enterprises. Supporting offerings include a self-serve job-seeker portal and career intelligence content for technology professionals.

Product overview

Terminal 1 operates as a single unified recruitment platform combining human expertise with technology tools. The core offering is the Terminal 1 Recruitment Platform, which provides end-to-end talent acquisition services for companies and job search support for candidates. Supporting modules include Candidate Skill Assessments for credentialing and the Career Intelligence Tools suite. The platform integrates recruiter-mediated matching with candidate self-service tools accessible through the t1.me portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Terminal 1 Recruitment Platform A technology-enabled recruitment platform connecting companies with technology talent (software engineers, data scientists, product specialists), combining specialized recruiter expertise with proprietary screening and assessment tools for permanent placement across Hong Kong and Taiwan. Serves tech companies, SaaS firms, fintechs, and multinational corporations.
• Candidate Skill Assessments A badge credential system that lets technology job seekers prove their skills in algorithms, coding tests, and machine learning through online assessments, receiving comprehensive quality reports on their submissions. The assessments serve as verifiable credentials that candidates can present to Terminal 1's employer clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Highest hit rate in history of all agencies utilized (per client testimonial)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Glints: Singapore-headquartered tech talent platform operating across Southeast Asia and Greater China, combining recruiter services with self-serve hiring tools. Direct competitor to Terminal 1 in the APAC technology recruitment space with overlapping candidate pools and employer customers.
• Wantedly: Japan-based tech-focused hiring platform with operations across APAC, combining employer branding, recruiter matching, and candidate self-service. Closely comparable business model to Terminal 1's recruiter-plus-platform approach.

Broad incumbents

• Hays: Global professional recruitment firm with deep APAC presence including Hong Kong and Taiwan. Overlaps with Terminal 1 in technology and fintech hiring but operates at far greater scale with broader sector coverage.
• Robert Half: Global specialist recruiter with established APAC operations in finance, technology, and administrative staffing. Comparable placement-fee model and similar enterprise client base, though much larger and more diversified.
• Michael Page: Global recruitment firm with strong Hong Kong and Taiwan offices specializing in mid-to-senior technology and financial services placements. Direct overlap in APAC tech and fintech verticals served by Terminal 1.
• Spring Professional (Adecco): Adecco Group's specialist IT and engineering recruitment brand operating across APAC. Comparable target market of technology professionals and similar permanent placement revenue model.
• ManpowerGroup: Global staffing and workforce solutions firm with extensive Hong Kong and Taiwan presence offering both permanent placement and contract staffing. Competes for the same enterprise and technology hiring budgets as Terminal 1.
• Recruit Holdings: Japanese HR technology conglomerate operating Indeed, Glassdoor, and regional recruitment brands across APAC. Represents the platform-plus-recruiter hybrid model that Terminal 1 aspires to, with vastly greater scale and capital.

Emerging players

• CakeResume: Taiwan-headquartered tech talent platform combining job matching, recruiter services, and candidate assessments. A closer regional peer given Terminal 1's Taiwan operating base and similar tech-candidate audience.
• Hirect: AI-driven direct-chat recruitment platform focused on technology hiring, with APAC operations including Hong Kong. Comparable tech-enabled, assessment-supported hiring model targeting similar developer and data candidate pools.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/eshao
• Xx.com/Terminal1_HR

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 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 Terminal 1