Yardstick
Yardstick is a Seattle-based ATS vendor for startups and agent-savvy hiring teams, offering AI-generated interview plans, structured scorecards, and agent-operable workflows via CLI, API, and MCP under a usage-based pricing model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Yardstick does
Yardstick is a Seattle-based, privately-held software company founded in 2022 that sells an applicant tracking system (ATS) targeted at startups of 5-100 people, founders opening first roles, and agent-savvy technical operators. The platform connects active jobs, candidates, interview plans, interviewer assignments, scorecards, and hiring decisions in a single workspace, with structured interviews and required scorecards as the organizing principle. Differentiated features include AI-generated interview plans, questions, rubrics, and scorecards (powered primarily by Google Gemini, with optional Anthropic Claude and OpenAI), context-aware hiring that ingests team performance and strategic context before generating job requirements, a hosted branded careers page, and a Talent CRM for outbound sourcing that feeds the same structured pipeline as inbound applications.
The platform is built on Supabase (Postgres, authentication, file storage) and hosted on Vercel with a global CDN, and exposes a public API, CLI, and MCP server on every account, making it agent-operable for coding agent users (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor). Agents can draft job descriptions, build interview plans, generate questions and scorecards, and summarize candidate evidence; sensitive actions such as publishing jobs, emailing candidates, and advancing or rejecting candidates require human approval. Yardstick complies with GDPR and CCPA via sub-processor agreements and relies on the SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 certifications of Supabase and Vercel.
Yardstick's revenue model is freemium-led and usage-based: the first three active jobs are free, the Core plan starts at $49 per month plus per-active-job charges, and Enterprise plans are sold via order form or invoice under a Master Service Agreement with custom terms, a DPA, and enterprise-only capabilities such as automated outreach email sequences. Pricing is decoupled from employee headcount and seat counts, aligning cost to active hiring volume rather than organizational size. The company appears to operate without disclosed external funding, has 1-10 employees, and is led by CEO Lucas Price and CTO Austin Amoruso.
Yardstick firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Yardstick
- Legal name
- Yardstick, Inc.
- Website
- https://yardstick.team
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Yardstick is a Seattle-based ATS vendor for startups and agent-savvy hiring teams, offering AI-generated interview plans, structured scorecards, and agent-operable workflows via CLI, API, and MCP under a usage-based pricing model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Yardstick industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) & Applicant Tracking (ATS) (BPACAPAD)
Keywords
Where Yardstick is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Yardstick business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Active Job-Based Subscription: Core paid plans priced around active hiring activity rather than employee headcount or per-seat licensing. First 3 Jobs free, then Core starts at $49/month plus active Jobs. Paid subscriptions auto-renew monthly with 30 days notice before fee increases.
- Usage-Based Charges: Charges per active Job on top of recurring platform fee. Hiring volume fluctuates month-to-month; pricing aligns with active hiring work. Archived or read-only Jobs do not create active hiring charges.
- Enterprise Plans: Enterprise plans available via order form or invoice under Master Service Agreement. May include custom pricing, DPA terms, and additional capabilities. Automated email sending inside outreach sequences is an Enterprise capability.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free tier for first 3 active jobs |
| Subscription | Monthly | Core plan starting at $49/month plus active Jobs |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise plans via order form or invoice |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Yardstick product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Yardstick is a structured-interview applicant tracking system (ATS) that connects active Jobs, candidates, interview plans, interviewer assignments, scorecards, and hiring decisions in one workspace. It uses AI (powered by Google Gemini, with optional Claude and OpenAI) to draft interview plans, questions, rubrics, and scorecards for human review. The platform is agent-operable via a public CLI, API, and MCP server, allowing coding agents such as Claude Code and Codex to prepare hiring work while sensitive actions require human approval.
Product overview
Yardstick is a structured-interview ATS platform built for humans and agents, offering a unified product with multiple integrated features. The core ATS platform connects active Jobs, candidates, interview plans, scorecards, and hiring decisions in one workflow. AI assistance (powered by Google Gemini, with optional Claude and OpenAI) helps generate interview questions, scorecards, and job descriptions as drafts for human review. The platform is agent-operable via a public CLI, API, and MCP server, allowing coding agents to prepare hiring work while humans approve sensitive actions. Pricing follows fair usage-based pay-as-you-go model (active Jobs, not seats). Supporting features include a hosted careers page, context-aware hiring tools, and talent CRM for outbound prospecting. All applications from careers pages or outreach feed into the same structured interview pipeline.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Yardstick ATS Platform An applicant tracking system (ATS) built for humans and agents that connects active Jobs, candidates, interview plans, interviewer assignments, scorecards, and hiring decisions in one workspace. Features structured interview workflows with AI assistance under human approval, agent-operable via CLI/API, and fair usage-based pricing (pay-as-you-go for active hiring). Targets startups, founders, hiring managers, and recruiting leaders.
- Talent CRM Outbound prospecting capability within the Yardstick platform for building pipeline of prospects, organizing them into pools, and preparing structured outreach sequences. Feeds the same structured interview pipeline as inbound applications. Available with automated email sending as an Enterprise capability.
- Hosted Careers Page A hosted, branded careers page included on every Yardstick account. Published open roles appear automatically; candidates apply and land directly into the structured interview pipeline without requiring a separate job board subscription or web development project.
Quantifiable outcome
- Companies applying data and measurement to hiring practices achieve 400-800% productivity gains and 434-750% first-year ROI
Companies that use Yardstick
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Yardstick technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability4 records
Feature6 records
Yardstick partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Vercel, Inc.coreApplication hosting, content delivery network (CDN), and edge infrastructure. Processes Personal Information and Customer Data in transit, plus request metadata and logs. Processing in United States (iad1 Washington, D.C.) with global edge CDN.
- Google LLC (Gemini API)coreGenerative AI assistance for drafting hiring content (interview questions, scorecards, interview plans) and AI-assisted evaluation of applications against job-related criteria. Decision support only—not to automatically reject or screen out candidates without human review. Processes content submitted for generation including candidate, role, and customer data.
- Anthropic, PBC (Claude / Claude Code)coreOptional generative AI assistance for drafting interview questions, scorecards, and interview plans. Also used for AI-assisted software development, debugging, and support tooling. Processes prompt content including candidate, role, and customer data; and Customer Data incidentally accessed during development, debugging, or support.
- OpenAI (OpenAI OpCo, LLC) (API / Codex)coreOptional generative AI assistance for drafting interview questions, scorecards, and interview plans. Also used for AI-assisted software development, debugging, and support tooling. Processes prompt content including candidate, role, and customer data; and Customer Data incidentally accessed during development, debugging, or support.
- Supabase, Inc.corePrimary database (Postgres), authentication, and file storage. Processes account, candidate, role, interview, and scorecard records; uploaded content such as resumes; authentication identifiers. Processing in United States (AWS us-east-2). SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 certified.
- Stripe, Inc.coreBilling and payment processing. Processes billing contact details and payment card information. Full card data submitted directly to Stripe; Yardstick stores only last four digits. Processing in United States/Global.
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Yardstick competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Teamtailor: European-origin ATS with branded career sites, structured hiring, and CRM-style candidate nurturing. Comparable product, but primarily serves European customers and competes regionally rather than in the US.
Broad incumbents
- Workable: Globally distributed ATS with AI screening, structured interviewing, and a broad SMB-to-mid-market footprint. Competes with Yardstick on AI-assisted hiring for small and growing teams.
- BambooHR: HR platform with an integrated ATS aimed at SMB and mid-market. Competes with Yardstick for the same startup-and-growing-company hiring-manager segment, though with a much broader HR suite.
- Lever: ATS + CRM platform with structured interview plans, scorecards, and automation features. Targets growing companies moving up-market and competes with Yardstick on workflow integration.
- Greenhouse: Established ATS incumbent serving mid-market and enterprise with structured hiring, scorecards, and increasingly AI-assisted features. Competes with Yardstick for the same hiring-manager buyer once startups scale.
Direct peers
- Gem: Modern ATS and sourcing platform designed for startup and growth-stage hiring teams, with structured workflows and AI-assisted candidate review. Closely comparable to Yardstick on target customer and feature scope.
- Ashby: All-in-one talent platform combining ATS, structured interviews, scorecards, and AI-assisted workflows with a strong startup and scale-up customer base. Ashby directly overlaps Yardstick on structured-interview ATS, AI generation, and pay-for-what-you-use pricing philosophy.
- Pinpoint: ATS purpose-built for in-house startup and scale-up talent teams, featuring structured interviews, scorecards, and branded careers pages. Directly comparable to Yardstick on startup-focused structured hiring.
Emerging players
- Recruiterflow: ATS and CRM platform targeting recruiting agencies and small in-house teams with structured workflows and AI-assisted sourcing. Overlaps Yardstick on workflow integration but skews toward agency users.
Others
- Eightfold AI: Talent intelligence platform using AI for matching, skills inference, and hiring recommendations. Adjacent to Yardstick because both use AI in hiring, but Eightfold targets enterprise talent strategy rather than the startup ATS workflow.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Yardstick social profiles
Digital presenceYardstick compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Yardstick financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Yardstick leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Yardstick funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Yardstick M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Yardstick
What does Yardstick do?
Yardstick is a structured-interview applicant tracking system (ATS) that connects active Jobs, candidates, interview plans, interviewer assignments, scorecards, and hiring decisions in one workspace. It uses AI (powered by Google Gemini, with optional Claude and OpenAI) to draft interview plans, questions, rubrics, and scorecards for human review. The platform is agent-operable via a public CLI, API, and MCP server, allowing coding agents such as Claude Code and Codex to prepare hiring work while sensitive actions require human approval.
Is Yardstick a public or private company?
Yardstick is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Yardstick founded?
Yardstick was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Yardstick based?
Yardstick is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Yardstick make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Active Job-Based Subscription is the primary driver. The others are usage-Based Charges and enterprise Plans.
Who are Yardstick's main competitors?
Teamtailor is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Workable, BambooHR, Lever and Greenhouse. Direct peers are Gem, Ashby and Pinpoint. Recruiterflow is listed as an emerging player. Eightfold AI is listed as an others.
Does Yardstick have an API?
Yes. Yardstick offers a public API on every account that enables programmatic access to the platform. Users and authorized coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) can operate the ATS through the yardstick CLI, public API, or MCP server. The API supports: drafting job descriptions, building interview plans, generating questions and scorecards, summarizing candidate evidence, managing candidate stages, and scheduling. Sensitive actions like publishing a job, emailing candidates, advancing/rejecting candidates, and billing changes require human approval before execution. Available on all account tiers. Developer documentation is at portal.yardstick.team/docs/api.
What industry is Yardstick in?
Yardstick's product category is Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAPAD, Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) & Applicant Tracking (ATS). Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7370.