Recruitment app Syft closes £2.65m from David Haye and Lord Young

Syft, a recruitment app, has secured £2.65m in seed funding from heavyweight boxer David Haye and David Cameron’s former enterprise advisor Lord Young.

Other participants in the round included Profounders Capital, Mike Kershaw and founders from Gamesys, Velocity, and CloudVolumes.

Launched in November 2015, Syft helps employers find fully vetted temporary workers in the hospitality and events sectors. It claims to save clients 55% in fees compared to established competitors.

Users of the app can choose where and when they want to work, with an average wage of £9.25 per hour per shift and more premium shifts offering £20 an hour. All payroll and tax duties are dealt with by Syft.

Novo Abakare, co-founder of Syft, commented: “The size of the seed round is a great indication not only of the size of our addressable market, but also of what the team at Syft have been able to achieve in such a short space of time.

“A large amount of this round will continue to go towards ongoing development of the platform as we look to expand across London.”

Haye commented: “Supporting British entrepreneurs is really important to me, especially those who are the driving force behind tech and growth-focused businesses.

“I not only invested in Syft’s vision but I also recognised the company’s work ethic and dedication to success.”