14. Talentful

Founders: Phil Blaydes and Chris Abbass
Founded: July 2015 (launched October 2015)
Website: www.talentful.co

While working as contractors in technology companies for high growth firms, Phil Blaydes and Chris Abbass realised that nobody was offering their kind of contract work on a business scale.

They wondered what would happen if companies could “parachute in” teams of specialists to solve imminent issues within a set time frame, and this set the wheels in motion for Talentful.

Featured in the Startups 100 2017, where it has since jumped from 28th to 14th position, Talentful provides interim talent solutions for tech companies.

Talentful’s 43-strong team work on-site as part of the client’s team so they can make themselves familiar with the company culture and find the right candidates for the job.

Its process enables clients to accurately forecast their recruitment spend ahead of actually hiring the contractors, and it doesn’t charge commission for successful candidate work; operating solely on a retainer basis.

At the time of launch in October 2015, Talentful’s first customers were Thought Machine and Audible – who Blaydes and Abbass were working for at the conception of the business. Today, the start-up boasts hundreds of customers including fast-growth businesses such as ZOPA, ClearScore, Trainline, Cortex, and Property Partner.

Blaydes and Abbass say they are proud to have “played a huge role” in the success of these business that have gone on to become leaders in their fields.

And its customers appear to be just as happy with Talenful’s service; 80% of its clients renew and 90% of its new business comes from recommendations and referrals.

With no problems finding new customers, Talentful is now focused on working towards a ‘full-stack’ talent approach by looking at the entire lifecycle of a hire, including on-boarding, retention and progression.

As Blaydes and Abbass accurately highlight “there’s no point in spending time and money hiring the best people if you’re not going to develop them well”.