Start People
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersDurham, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Start People does
Start People Ltd is a UK-based recruitment agency headquartered in Durham with a second office in Manchester, founded in 2014. The firm delivers temporary and permanent staffing solutions across five core verticals: manufacturing, engineering, logistics, food & beverage, and commercial roles. It serves both small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and larger corporate clients throughout Northern England, with a sales-led go-to-market model in which recruitment consultants manage relationships on both the candidate and employer sides of the market.
The company's product surface is a traditional recruitment stack: a website job board, a candidate CV registration portal, email-based job alerts via MailChimp, and LinkedIn/Facebook channels for candidate engagement. No proprietary technology, matching algorithm, or AI/ML capability is disclosed; differentiation rests on the firm's regional brand (recognised as a Top 3 recruitment agency in Durham for two consecutive years by ThreeBestRated), testimonials, and a partnership-oriented service approach. The business model is transaction-fee based, charging employers for temporary placements (where workers are employed by Start People) and one-off fees for permanent placements, with pricing quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
In February 2026, Start People acquired Sunderland-based SG Personnel in a deal the firm described as a milestone, with the acquisition intended to support a £20 million turnover plan and create up to 15 new jobs. The combined group operates in the manufacturing, distribution, and technical staffing sectors. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external institutional investors, and the data protection posture includes GDPR, UK DPA, and EU DPD compliance.
Start People firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Start People
- Legal name
- Start People Ltd
- Website
- https://startpeopleltd.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Start People industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Temporary Help Services (56132), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Employment Services (5613)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Temp-to-Hire Staffing (BPACACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA), Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare) (BPACAFAC)
Keywords
Where Start People is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Durham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Start People business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Temporary Staffing Placement: Placement of temporary workers with client companies, charging employers for recruitment and staffing services. Workers are employed by Start People and supplied to client businesses.
- Permanent Placement: Recruitment of permanent candidates for client businesses, charging placement fees upon successful hiring.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Recruitment agency services for employers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Start People product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Start People is a recruitment agency placing temporary and permanent workers with client businesses across Engineering, Manufacturing, Food & Beverage, Logistics, and Commercial sectors. It supplies workers (who are employed by Start People) to client companies for temporary assignments and charges placement fees for permanent hires, supported by an online job board, CV registration, and email job-alert services.
Product overview
Start People operates as a recruitment agency providing talent and labour solutions. The core offering is recruitment agency services that connect candidates with employers, supported by an online job board platform for job listings and a CV registration system for candidate onboarding. Additional platforms include job alert email notifications. The company specialises in temporary and permanent placements across Engineering, Manufacturing, Food & Beverage, Logistics, and Commercial sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Recruitment Agency Services
- Job Board
- CV Registration Service
- Job Alerts
Quantifiable outcome
- Listed as Top 3 Recruitment agency in Durham for second consecutive year
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Start People
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Start People technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Start People partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- SG PersonnelcoreStart People, a Durham and Manchester-based recruitment firm, has acquired Sunderland-based SG Personnel in a deal described as a milestone for the company. The acquisition is expected to strengthen Start People's £20 million turnover plans and create up to 15 jobs, while expanding its operational scale in the manufacturing, distribution, and technical staffing sectors.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Start People competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ManpowerGroup: Global workforce solutions provider with a large UK industrial and logistics staffing business. Direct overlap in temporary industrial placement with significantly greater technology, scale, and geographic reach.
- Gi Group: Global staffing provider with a strong UK industrial and manufacturing presence, offering temporary and permanent workforce solutions. Closely comparable business model and sector mix to Start People, but with international reach and greater scale.
- REED: One of the UK's largest recruitment agencies with a broad portfolio across industrial, professional, and commercial staffing. Comparable as a multi-sector, multi-region UK recruiter with both temp and perm placement — though at significantly larger scale than Start People.
- Hays: Global recruitment firm with strong UK presence across industrial, construction, engineering, and professional staffing. Comparable as a multi-vertical recruiter, though skewed more toward professional/white-collar than Start People's blue-collar focus.
- Adecco: One of the world's largest staffing firms, with a substantial UK industrial and logistics staffing business. Direct overlap in temp/permanent industrial placement, with greater technology investment and geographic coverage.
Direct peers
- Search Consultancy: UK-focused multi-sector recruiter (industrial, commercial, professional services) operating through regional branches. Directly comparable business model with both temporary staffing and permanent placement across overlapping verticals.
- Acorn Recruitment:
- Brook Street UK: UK recruitment agency providing temp and permanent staffing across industrial, office, and professional sectors. Closely comparable in multi-vertical mid-market recruitment model with both SMEs and corporate clients.
- Staffline Group: UK-listed specialist in industrial, logistics, and manufacturing staffing with a strong Northern England footprint. Closely comparable in sector mix, temp/permanent offering, and regional concentration — a near-direct competitor for Start People's core verticals.
Emerging players
- Taskmaster Resources: UK recruitment agency specializing in industrial, manufacturing, and logistics temporary staffing with a regional branch model. Comparable sector mix and temp-heavy business model, though smaller in scale and geographic coverage than Start People.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Start People social profiles
Digital presenceStart People compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Start People financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Start People leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Start People subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Start People funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Start People 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 Start People
What does Start People do?
Start People is a recruitment agency placing temporary and permanent workers with client businesses across Engineering, Manufacturing, Food & Beverage, Logistics, and Commercial sectors. It supplies workers (who are employed by Start People) to client companies for temporary assignments and charges placement fees for permanent hires, supported by an online job board, CV registration, and email job-alert services.
Is Start People a public or private company?
Start People is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Start People founded?
Start People was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Start People based?
Start People is headquartered in Durham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Start People make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Temporary Staffing Placement is the primary driver. The others are permanent Placement.
Who are Start People's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ManpowerGroup, Gi Group, REED, Hays and Adecco. Direct peers are Search Consultancy, Acorn Recruitment, Brook Street UK and Staffline Group. Taskmaster Resources is listed as an emerging player.
Does Start People have an API?
No public API is recorded for Start People.
What industry is Start People in?
Start People's product category is Industrial Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACACAG, Temp-to-Hire Staffing, with a secondary code of BPACAFAA, General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry). Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.