Dex, a U.K.-based startup aiming to reshape how companies and candidates connect, has just come out of stealth with a $3.1 million pre-seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz’s Speedrun fund. The company is building an AI-powered “talent agent” that not only matches candidates with roles but also coaches them, handles applications, and even helps negotiate offers — all through natural conversations powered by AI.
The start-up is co-founded by Paddy Lambros (former head of talent at Atomico) and Harry Uglow (former software engineer at Atomico), and already has around two dozen UK tech companies testing the platform, including two unicorns.
AI That Talks Like a Talent Agent
Unlike job boards or traditional applicant tracking systems, Dex positions itself as an AI voice-based agent. It chats with candidates over the phone to understand their full profile — not just their job history, but also their goals, values, and personal preferences.
From there, Dex does it all:
- Monitors job boards for hyper-relevant openings
- Handles the application (no CVs or cover letters needed)
- Prepares candidates for interviews
- Negotiates job offers on their behalf
“It’s like having your own personal recruiter — but powered by AI and available 24/7,” Lambros told TechCrunch.
Smart Matching for Passive and Active Talent
Dex isn’t just for those actively job hunting. The platform supports passive candidates by keeping an eye out for highly specific roles and pinging them when the right opportunity arises. For active job seekers, Dex manages the entire process from search to interview prep.
And instead of relying solely on resumes, Dex builds deep candidate profiles based on AI-driven conversations, then uses large public datasets, recruitment insights, and LLM-powered recommendation systems to generate high-quality matches.
What Powers Dex?
Under the hood, Dex uses a blend of OpenAI (ChatGPT), Google’s Gemini, and Meta’s Llama models — selecting the best model based on performance and task type.
Dex also gathers input from:
- 50+ top UK recruitment leaders
- Thousands of call transcripts
- Behavioral and cultural insights from both candidates and hiring managers
The result? Smarter, more human-centric job matchmaking that goes beyond the resume and job description.
Funding and Future Plans
The $3.1M pre-seed round was led by:
- Andreessen Horowitz’s Speedrun fund
- Concept Ventures
- Notable angels including Charlie Songhurst (Meta), Eric French (Deliveroo), Stephen Whitworth (Incident.io), and Kamil Mieczakowski (Notion Capital)
Dex plans to use the funding to expand its engineering and marketing teams, scale its platform across the UK, and eventually enter international markets.
A New Era of Recruitment?
Dex joins a growing movement of startups leveraging generative AI to improve recruiting — but its approach feels more “AI concierge” than job board. It’s a candidate-first, conversation-driven experience designed to reduce churn and improve long-term job fit.
“We’re building more than a hiring tool,” said CEO Paddy Lambros. “We’re building a new kind of talent infrastructure — one that helps people find roles they’ll thrive in, not just tolerate.”
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