Founded in 2018 by Euan Cameron and Andrew Wood in Glasgow, Willo's platform has rapidly gained global traction. It supports public and private organisations in over 180 countries, including high-profile clients such as the NHS, The Very Group, Prada, Samsung, and Hitachi, by streamlining and improving recruitment processes.

This fresh round of funding, which brings Willo’s total investment to £4.2 million, comes on the heels of a successful first half of 2024. The firm secured several prominent clients, including Toyota, energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie, the City of Long Beach in the US, global restaurant chain Din Tai Fung, logistics provider DPD Group, and EDF Energy.

Willo plans to utilise this capital injection for ongoing research and development, with a focus on enhancing the candidate experience and employee journey. The firm is also working to expand its integrated verification and certification software, which has been a standout feature of its platform. Notably, Willo recently achieved ISO 27001 certification, an important international standard for information security management.

The investment will also fuel Willo's continued expansion in the US, a key market responsible for over 60% of the company’s revenue. The firm operates from a base in New York and intends to grow its global team to 25 employees.

Initially aiming to raise £800,000, Willo exceeded expectations, securing more than double the target amount due to Bauer's substantial backing. CEO and co-founder, Euan Cameron, described the achievement as a "major accomplishment" and a significant step forward for the company’s growth ambitions.

Other notable investors in this round included Mark Danby, the former Chief Digital Officer of Visa Europe, and 1818 Venture Capital. Cameron emphasised that the additional capital would allow Willo to continue developing its award-winning technology while driving further global expansion.

He said: “This is a significant moment for the team at Willo, and also for the UK tech start-up scene. It’s no secret that the investment landscape has been challenging of late, so to receive this level of backing from investors like Peter Bauer is a massive statement of faith in what we have achieved and where we’re going.

“This funding enables even greater levels of operational focus. It puts us in a position where we don’t need to fundraise next year, and we can prioritise scale and growth in 2025. As a company we can now experiment, invest in R&D – developing new technologies for our customers, and then go all-in on growth with a world leading interviewing platform.

“The market is tough out there at the moment, particularly in SaaS, which makes this investment exciting. It provides a phenomenal opportunity to push ahead.

“There is significant momentum behind the business, and we are on the cusp of being not just a Scottish tech success story, but a global one.

“There is real momentum behind us now, we have recorded another strong growth year, established Willo as a G2 Reviews Leader, and are interviewing millions of happy candidates everywhere. We are at the cutting edge of a movement in replacing the CV, and can’t wait for the next stage.”

Bauer founded Mimecast with co-founder Neil Murray in 2003, and it has since grown into one of the world’s biggest email security platforms, supporting over 42,000 organisations, working with the likes of Google and Microsoft. He stepped down as CEO in 2024, and now invests in some of the most prominent tech start-ups in the world.

Peter said: "I'm excited to support Willo's mission. The platform's capability to simplify hiring not only enhances the candidate experience but makes life better for hiring managers. It also helps to improve accessibility, enabling candidates to find better opportunities anywhere in the world, levelling the playing field, while giving companies a better understanding of who is actually best suited for any role."

Willo, which has active customers and candidates in all 195 countries around the world, remains on target to grow a further 300% by end of 2025, an ambition that will include interviewing millions of candidates whilst becoming a carbon neutral organisation.