What Open Referral does

Open Referral SAS, headquartered in Paris, France, is a private B2B SaaS company that provides an AI-native employee referral platform for companies with 50 to 3,000 employees. The platform automates the full referral program lifecycle, including employee eligibility verification, candidate tracking through hiring pipelines, bonus calculation and payroll export, automated notifications, and AI-powered re-engagement nudges for inactive referrers. It integrates with 64 applicant tracking systems (ATS) including Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, and Ashby via API, enabling same-day setup without IT or developer involvement.

The company's technical differentiator is a proprietary Model Context Protocol (MCP) connector that enables natural language management of referral programs through existing AI assistants (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Mistral). The connector uses a read-only, privacy-by-design architecture where candidate identities are minimized to first name and initial before reaching any AI assistant. The Scale plan adds an autonomous AI agent that triggers re-engagements and actions independently of user intervention. Additional capabilities include AI duplicate detection in ATS, personalized communication drafting for Slack, email, and LinkedIn, and a built-in best-practice knowledge base accessible via MCP tools.

Open Referral operates a product-led growth motion with two flat-rate subscription tiers: Essential at €99/month and Scale at €399/month. Neither tier bills per collaborator; pricing is fixed regardless of company size, with optional annual billing and no commitment required. The product is offered as self-service for Essential with same-day onboarding, and sales-assisted for Scale customers. The company was founded by Amandine (CEO) and Michel (CTO), is GDPR-compliant with EU-only hosting, and currently serves a small customer base of European startups including Dessia, SpaceFill, Steamulo, and Stoïk. No funding rounds, revenue figures, or additional employees have been publicly disclosed.

Name

Open Referral

Legal name

Open Referral SAS

Website

https://openreferral.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Open Referral SAS is a Paris-based B2B SaaS company providing an AI-native employee referral platform that integrates with 64 ATS systems and uses an MCP connector to enable natural language program management via Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Mistral for European companies with 50 to 3,000 employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription - Essential Plan: Monthly fixed license at €99/month with full product access plus AI Copilot that users control via their own AI assistant. No per-collaborator billing. Includes: employee portal, ATS connection, configurable referral policies, candidate submission and tracking, automatic notifications, reporting & analytics, integrated bonus management, AI coaching, and internal communications drafting.
2. SaaS Subscription - Scale Plan: Monthly fixed license at €399/month with everything in Essential plus autonomous AI agent that acts independently, SSO and advanced rights management, multi-space support for multiple entities or business units, and 1 hour of training and onboarding with their HR team.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Open Referral is an AI-native employee referral SaaS platform that automates the operational backbone of corporate referral programs—eligibility verification, candidate tracking, bonus calculation, payroll export, and re-engagement nudges—for HR and talent acquisition teams. It connects to 64 applicant tracking systems and exposes program data to AI assistants (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Mistral) via an MCP connector with privacy-by-design data minimization, while a Scale-tier autonomous agent proactively manages the program without user intervention.

Product overview

Open Referral is a unified B2B SaaS employee referral software platform with two subscription tiers: Essential (€99/month) providing the complete product plus an AI Copilot with MCP connector for natural language program management via Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or Mistral; and Scale (€399/month) adding an autonomous AI agent that proactively triggers relances and actions without user intervention, plus SSO and multi-space management. The platform integrates with 64 ATS systems to sync referral candidates automatically, automates bonus tracking from referral through hire to payout with payroll export, and provides an AI-powered recruiter dashboard. A unique employee portal enables one-click job sharing via LinkedIn, WhatsApp, or email. The MCP connector provides read-only tools for querying program stats, pending actions, and knowledge entries through AI assistants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Open Referral AI-native employee referral software platform for HR and Talent Acquisition teams. Automates eligibility verification, candidate tracking, bonus calculation, payroll export, and AI-generated re-engagement nudges. Integrates with 64 ATS and HRIS systems via API, exposes program data to AI assistants (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Mistral) through an MCP connector with privacy-by-design data minimization, and is offered in two subscription tiers (Essential and Scale) targeting companies with 50–3,000 employees.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3× faster hiring: 30 days average vs 90 days for traditional recruitment
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration68 records

AI capability6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GreenhousecoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner. Greenhouse users can connect their applicant tracking system to Open Referral in minutes via API, enabling automatic referral candidate sync, status updates, and bonus triggering at hire.
• LevercoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner. Lever users connect via API without IT involvement, syncing referral candidates automatically and triggering bonuses when referred candidates are hired.
• WorkdaycoreTechnology or IntegrationEnterprise ATS integration partner. Workday customers can integrate their recruitment system with Open Referral for automatic referral tracking and bonus management.
• SAP SuccessFactorscoreTechnology or IntegrationEnterprise ATS integration partner. SAP SuccessFactors users connect via API to sync referral candidates and automate bonus payouts.
• AshbycoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner. Ashby customers connect their recruitment system to Open Referral for real-time referral candidate sync and automatic bonus triggering.
• TeamtailorcoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner. Teamtailor users integrate via API for automatic referral tracking and payroll-ready bonus exports.
• PersoniocoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner. Personio customers connect their HR system to Open Referral for seamless referral program management.
• BambooHRcoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner. BambooHR users integrate their HR system with Open Referral for automated referral tracking.
• SmartRecruiterscoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner. SmartRecruiters users connect via API for automatic referral candidate syncing and status updates.
• WorkablecoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner. Workable customers integrate with Open Referral for referral program automation.
• RecruiteecoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner. Recruitee users connect via API for automatic referral tracking and bonus management.
• iCIMScoreTechnology or IntegrationEnterprise ATS integration partner. iCIMS users integrate with Open Referral for referral program automation.
• BullhorncoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner. Bullhorn users connect their CRM-based recruitment system to Open Referral for referral automation.
• JobvitecoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner. Jobvite customers integrate with Open Referral for referral tracking automation.
• RipplingcoreTechnology or IntegrationHR platform integration partner. Rippling users connect their unified HR system to Open Referral for referral program management.
• ADPcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayroll integration partner. ADP Workforce Now users receive structured export files compatible with ADP for bonus payroll processing.
• Claude (Anthropic)coreTechnology or IntegrationAI assistant integration via MCP protocol. Claude users connect Open Referral to their AI assistant for natural language program management. OAuth 2.0/2.1 authentication with consent screen.
• ChatGPT (OpenAI)coreTechnology or IntegrationAI assistant integration via MCP protocol. ChatGPT users connect Open Referral for natural language referral program management. Available in beta via developer mode.
• Gemini (Google)coreTechnology or IntegrationAI assistant integration via MCP protocol. Gemini app users will be able to connect Open Referral for natural language program management. Coming soon.
• Le Chat (Mistral)coreTechnology or IntegrationAI assistant integration via MCP protocol. Mistral's Le Chat users connect Open Referral for natural language program management. Validated end-to-end integration.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Teamable: AI-driven sourcing and employee referral platform. Overlaps directly with Open Referral on referral automation, AI matching and ATS connectivity for mid-market employers.
• Boon: AI-powered employee referral platform that competes head-to-head with Open Referral on automated eligibility, bonus payouts and ATS integrations. Closest direct competitor in the same product category and target segment.
• EmployeeReferrals.com: Standalone employee referral software with ATS integrations, bonus management and employee portals. Direct competitor serving the same SME/mid-market referral use case.

Broad incumbents

• Workable: Global mid-market ATS that includes referral features. Targets the same 50–3,000 employee segment Open Referral serves, increasing the risk of native feature substitution.
• Lever: Enterprise ATS with built-in referral module. Overlaps with Open Referral's core workflow and is one of the named integration partners, making it both a channel and a substitute.
• Personio: European HRIS and recruiting platform with referral features. Competes in the same European mid-market segment Open Referral targets and represents a regional incumbent risk.
• Greenhouse: Leading ATS platform that ships native referral functionality and is also an Open Referral integration partner. Represents both the dominant incumbent distribution channel and the biggest competitive bundling risk.
• SmartRecruiters: Enterprise talent acquisition suite with referral capabilities. Competes as part of a broader HR-tech portfolio rather than as a referral specialist.
• iCIMS: Enterprise talent acquisition platform with a referral module. An Open Referral integration partner but also a potential substitute for large customers evaluating consolidation.

Emerging players

• Ashby: Modern, AI-forward ATS popular with high-growth tech companies. Increasingly bundles referral-adjacent automation and competes for the same product-led, mid-market HR-tech buyer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Open Referral