Talentiqa Secures €1Million Funding

“For twenty years I dealt with hiring hundreds of people in retail, hospitality, and gastronomy, and we constantly ran into the same issue. Companies complained there weren’t enough candidates, while applicants complained that firms didn’t know how to communicate with them – often not replying at all. These two worlds were simply missing each other. Sometimes the problem was as trivial as an applicant not being able to answer the phone in time.

“We founded Talentiqa to speed up the initial interview and increase its success rate. Thanks to AI, we can now automate the most difficult part at scale – the first contact, verifying interest, and quickly connecting the right people with the right companies,” says Marek Dian, Co-founder and CEO of Talentiqa.

In 2025, European HRTech startups continue to draw strong investor interest, driven by AI-powered hiring and workforce management. Danish startup Kiku raised €4M for high-volume recruitment, London’s Metaview secured €30M to expand its AI recruiting platform, Madrid-based Orbio closed €6.4M for its AI-native HCM system, and Milan’s Skillvue raised €5.5M for skills-based hiring.

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Within this context, Talentiqa’s €1M round is smaller but aligns with the broader European trend of automating recruitment workflows through AI. Unlike peers focusing on skills platforms, HCM, or payroll, Talentiqa differentiates itself with AI-driven pre-screening and interview automation, bringing Central European representation to a market largely led by Western and Southern Europe.

“What impressed us most about Talentiqa were the strong Founders with a deep understanding of the problem. The startup leverages AI very effectively to tackle recruitment in industries where traditional approaches fail. They already have the trust of major corporations, which is a strong signal that their product works and has international potential,” says Jan Staněk, Managing Partner of Purple Ventures.

Founded in 2021, Talentiqa aims to make first-round interviews faster and fairer, with its AI platform reportedly saving recruiters up to 100 hours per month and filling roles up to ten times quicker.

The startup was founded by Marek Dian, an experienced business manager, and Miro Šmelko, a seasoned software developer.

Talentiqa’s technology is used by major employers including ČEZ, Raiffeisenbank, Bageterie Boulevard and Manpower. By automating initial candidate screening with a 24/7 AI assistant, it eliminates repetitive tasks and accelerates the identification of promising candidates.

Unlike traditional interviews limited to working hours, Talentiqa enables applicants to engage with AI during evenings or weekends, improving accessibility and convenience.

The recent investment will support Talentiqa’s expansion across Europe and beyond. Initially launched as Jobsider in collaboration with HR professionals, the company has since refocused on intelligent pre-screening and rebranded as Talentiqa.

“It’s common that job seekers are still employed elsewhere. When recruiters call them during regular business hours, they’re often unavailable, don’t answer, and risk being dropped from the process. Our system allows applicants to complete the pre-screening through a chat with the AI assistant whenever it suits them – even at night or on weekends – which is key to our excellent results,” adds Marek Dian.

Talentiqa’s AI platform uses dozens of interconnected agents to conduct initial screening interviews, analyze CVs or even handle applications without them and verify key details like location, availability, and employment preferences. Successful candidates move immediately to the next stage, while others are added to the company’s talent pool for future roles.

The system is especially effective for high-volume hiring sectors such as retail, logistics, food service, and customer support, but it is also gaining traction in banking, telecommunications, and energy.

“We are constantly hiring for dozens of our restaurants. The most demanding part was always the initial round of calls – recruiters often spent half of their working hours just trying to reach candidates, as there are so many and few pick up the phone on the first try.

“Thanks to Talentiqa and its unique solution, we’ve been able to significantly speed up and streamline this process. This gives us more time to personally engage with applicants where it makes the most sense,” says Kristýna Krouželová, HR Manager at Bageterie Boulevard , which started using Talentiqa last year.

Talentiqa reports strong results: recruiters save up to 80% of their time, 90% of candidates complete pre-screening within 24 hours, and companies see over 400% ROI using the platform.

Additionally, 93% of applicants prefer chat interviews as a standard part of hiring, and 88% feel more confident and less stressed compared to traditional phone interviews.

With a growing corporate client base and clear product-market fit, Talentiqa is emerging not just as a Czech recruitment innovator, but as a global HRTech contender.

About Talentiqa

Talentiqa offers fully automated AI pre-screening for high-volume hiring, helping recruiters save time and accelerate candidate selection. Since 2021 it has evolved in close collaboration with HR specialists, optimizing workflows and improving candidate experience. The platform efficiently handles screening, verification and interview scheduling, making hiring faster, fairer, and scalable.