The entrepreneurs behind two of the UK’s most successful hospitality tech businesses have joined forces to launch a new venture that aims to reshape hospitality recruitment.
Sam Brown and Nick Holroyd-Doveton have raised £785,000 to further develop their matchmaking platform, Candid Hospitality. The funding came from NPIF II – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia Ventures and part of the Northern Powerhouse Fund II (NPIF II), Haatch and an angel investor, and marks the first NPIF II equity investment in Hull.
Sam Brown was previously a director of Airship Services, which was also backed by Mercia and the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and was sold to Zonal in 2022, while Nick Holroyd-Doveton co-founded Omnifi, which was sold to Access Group in 2021.
Hull-based Candid was developed with input from leading hospitality operators and suppliers. It enables candidates to build an anonymous profile and view opportunities, and employers to find the right people without sifting through multiple CVs. In place of CVs, candidates are matched on skills and values to ensure they not only meet job requirements but also fit into the company’s culture. Hospitality operators and suppliers pay a flat monthly fee to recruit candidates at all levels, from front of house to boardroom.
Launched in February this year, the platform has already attracted over 3,000 candidates and 100 brands including Big Table Group, Loungers, Honest Burgers, Turtle Bay, Punch Pubs, Flight Club and The Alchemist, and resulted in over 700 matches. The company plans to double the size of its team from seven to 14 in the next two years.
The hospitality sector is the UK’s third largest employer, accounting for around 3.5 jobs directly and with a further 3 million in the supply chain, according to a report by the trade body UK Hospitality.
Having spent years in hospitality, both Sam and I know the challenges of recruitment. Candidates are often afraid to look for a better job in case their current boss finds out, while employers spend huge sums on new hires only to find they are the wrong fit. We felt the process must be ripe for change. Using our industry contacts, we spoke to 60 operators and over 100 candidates and developed Candid based on their feedback. It uses the 3Cs - culture, competencies and compensation – which are key to successful hires. The anonymity protects candidates and removes subconscious bias, and enables employers to access ‘passive hires’ who may not be active job seekers but may be interested if the right role came along.
Nick Holroyd-Doveton, Co-founder
Having worked with Sam previously during his time at Airship, we are pleased to back him and Nick in their latest venture. Candid offers an innovative solution to the challenges of hospitality recruitment and has gained rapid traction. The funding will enable the team to build on its initial success and to drive further growth.
Will Schaffer, Investor at Mercia Ventures
The hospitality sector plays a vital role in the UK economy and is an industry built on people. Candid Hospitality is showing how innovative businesses in Yorkshire are using technology to tackle longstanding challenges and unlock new opportunities for growth. Through NPIF II, we’re proud to support these businesses and ambitious founders like Sam and Nick as they innovate and help strengthen one of the UK’s most important sectors.
Lizzy Upton, Investor at the British Business Bank
We’ve backed over 150 startups at Haatch, and it’s rare to see this level of product–market fit so early on. Sam and Nick are proven founders with deep hospitality experience, and Candid is already delivering results for some of the UK’s most respected operators. We believe this business can redefine how hospitality recruitment is done, putting culture and competence at the heart of hiring.
Jonathan Keeling, Partner at Haatch
