Edtechreview.in is pleased to report on the recent pre-seed funding of $608,000 (£500,000) raised by Slinger, a hospitality employment platform that aims to revolutionize the hiring process for organizations by removing outdated practices.
Slinger, founded by Theo-Lee Houston in 2021, is a platform that provides a fairest pay and quickest way to acquire hospitality work in the UK. The platform has been designed to make the CV obsolete by providing fun, fair, and flexible hospitality shifts to side hustlers, students, and hospitality professionals around the UK.
Fuel Ventures led the round, with Ufi Ventures, Andrew Gale, Dan Cobley (Ex-Google MD), Cornerstone Partners, Resolution Foundation, Tim Parsons (Wage Stream CFO), Gary Elden (Ex SThree CEO), Ben Westwood, Richard Ng, and the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund also participating. This financing will allow the startup to expand its workforce and develop a user career path that includes mentorship, upskilling, interview preparation, and work experience.
Slinger screens potential employees via video, eliminates advertised shifts in an average of 60 seconds, and provides blossoming and thriving enterprises with a cost-effective option to attract full-time labor if needed later. Compared to traditional practices such as job boards, CV vetting, and interviews, Slinger’s beta testing found an 80% reduction in hiring expenditures and a 90% reduction in time to fill vacancies. The average wage offered by the platform is £12.95/hr (8% higher than the London living wage).
Teachers in the UK now have access to a platform that provides them with a quick, fair, and flexible way to supplement their income. With Slinger, teachers can access hospitality shifts that suit their schedule, allowing them to gain valuable experience and earn money in the process. The platform also offers a range of other upskilling opportunities to help teachers stay ahead of the curve.
Mariama Boumanjal, Google for Startups Black Founders Fund Manager for Europe and Africa, commented: “We’re looking forward to working with Theo, the founder of Slinger, a platform that addresses the UK’s hospitality worker shortage by connecting the UK’s 10.3 million frontline workers to Living Wage opportunities.”
Theo-Lee Houston, Founder of Slinger, said: “Our product development is laser-focused on developing more human-led tech solutions to connect people with businesses sustainably. This helps businesses save time (the average shift goes in 60 seconds), offers them flexibility (temp staff), and keeps their money (quick filling of shifts means they can open any time they want to, and our model offers a significantly cheaper pipeline to full-time staff.”
The platform has experienced organic growth over the last two years, with over 10,000 shifts added to the platform and over £1m+ paid out to hospitality workers. With the fresh round of pre-seed funding, Slinger is well placed to revolutionize the UK hospitality sector and help teachers supplement their income.
