Konfir, a SaaS platform that provides instant employment and income verifications, has raised a £1.6 million pre-seed round.
The round was led by Triple Point ventures, which is backing founder Chris Milligan for a second time, and has also been supported by prominent UK tech angels including Michael Pennington, co-founder of Gumtree, Duncan Tatton-Brown, who has sat on the board’s of Zoopla, Trainline and Loveholidays, along with executives from Stripe.
Konfir is focused on background checking and claims that head of growth Steve O’Neil, co-founder of Security Watchdog – acquired by Capita Plc – has already helped the company build demand for up to a million verifications in the coming year.
Employment verifications are required in various consumer life events such as moving jobs or homes. Companies and individuals face an administrative headache having to prove, on average, either three or five years of work history.
This sensitive employment data is currently shared insecurely via email, PDF or on phone calls.
“The referencing process can take weeks to complete and can significantly hold up the hiring process,” said Oliver Harris, global MD of Page Outsourcing.
“What Konfir is doing via API should speed everything up by providing direct access to history that exists in other systems, instead of having to wait for email replies from previous employers.”
Konfir helps those requesting verifications, the employers and the individuals themselves. It launches in the UK at a time where changes to employment policy are being introduced, allowing trusted digital identities to be used to conduct pre-employment checks and prove right to work.
Seb Wallace, investment manager at Triple Point Ventures, said: “Konfir is solving a major problem for employers and staff across Europe, at a time when hiring and retention is a key priority for businesses across the continent.
“Chris is an experienced founder and an expert in the HR and employment sector. Having partnered with him in his previous business, we are excited to work together again on Konfir and the promising opportunity it presents.
“Chris’s vision is compelling and our decision to support Konfir is testament to our faith in Chris and his proven ability as an entrepreneur.”