Skillvue Raises €5.5M to Scale AI HR Agents

1. Congratulations on your recent $6.3 million seed round! What will this funding enable you to accomplish in the next 12–18 months?

Thank you! The funding is playing a critical role in accelerating the development of our Skills Assessment Agents and the underlying AI models. Over the past few months, we have expanded our engineering, AI, and psychometric teams with key resources, and we will continue to do so, both to provide HR professionals with ever higher-quality support in their daily work and to ensure maximum safety and precision in the results we deliver. At the same time, the funding is also strategic in helping us strengthen our presence in the European market.

2. Why do you believe now is the right time for a shift to skills-based workforce development?

We believe the right time has already come – a few years ago, in fact. The job market is experiencing unprecedented disruption: according to World Economic Forum forecasts, 59% of workers will require reskilling by 2030. This is just one example of how critical the skills crisis has become. That’s why it is essential to move beyond traditional job structures and organizational models, and instead focus on uncovering the real capabilities and potential that drive performance. Failing to make this transition will soon translate into very tangible business consequences: lower performance, reduced ROI, declining engagement – clear outcomes of skills and talent mismanagement.

3. Tell us more about your AI-powered Skills Assessment Agents. What makes them unique in the HRTech landscape?

To recap briefly: our Skills Assessment Agents enable companies to quickly and objectively evaluate a wide range of skills, motivations, and aspirations. This provides clear insights into candidates’ and employees’ talent, at a speed and depth that would be unimaginable with traditional assessment methods. This is the first and most important advantage that sets our solution apart from much of what has been available on the market in recent years, especially in Italy.
When looking at the broader European market – already more advanced in the HR tech space- we can leverage several unique strengths. These include our extensive Skills Test Library (150 customizable tests that can be aligned with each company’s competency model thanks to our internal expertise), our scientifically validated methodology (research confirms that the BEI approach is more predictive of professional skills and behaviors than commonly used alternatives such as the Big Five Model or personality tests), and the strategic use of multiple generative AI models. These models go beyond simple task automation to deliver an engaging and fully customized assessment experience. On top of that, our continuous research and development, driven by our AI and psychometric teams, ensures maximum accuracy and reliability in our models.

4. What impact are clients seeing in terms of internal mobility, hiring accuracy, or retention?

Based on our clients’ experiences, in recruitment our solution reduces time-to-hire up to 40%, enabling talent acquisition professionals not only to work more efficiently, but also to make better-informed decisions that positively impact the entire hiring process: greater alignment between candidates and role requirements, smoother onboarding, and higher long-term retention.
When it comes to internal skills development, we help companies cut both screening time and assessment costs, which can be reduced by up to 60% compared to traditional methods. This makes it possible to assess the entire workforce, not just top-level managers, thereby uncovering hidden talent, fostering more objective and inclusive mobility, and identifying critical skills gaps that require immediate action.

5. Can you explain how contextual learning and UX are shaping the next generation of assessment agents?

These are both key factors to achieve true progress in the creation of agents. As mentioned, our AI Agents are constantly evolving, not only to improve assessment accuracy but also to enhance the user experience throughout the process. We are making significant technological advancements, with a strong focus on delivering seamless and engaging interactions for candidates and employees, powered by AI contextual learning. Assessments can be completed in video, audio, or written format; in the written version, this takes the form of a simple WhatsApp-style conversation between Skillvue and the user. In this context, precise calibration of contextual reading is essential to ensure the effectiveness of the assessment. Our team is continuously working to strike the right balance: enabling users to express themselves freely, while at the same time ensuring that assessment questions are posed in an orderly, structured way (avoiding confusion, keeping focus on the task, and leaving feedback exclusively in the hands of HR professionals). I believe all of this will be pivotal to make a true difference in the future generation of agents.

6. With 70% of HR leaders citing skills gaps as a top concern, what role do you see Skillvue playing in the workforce strategy?

From the many conversations we are continuously having with partners, prospects, and clients, my impression is clear: AI-based solutions like our Agents are set to become indispensable partners for HR professionals, just as ATS software has become essential for application management in recent years. They will not only be essential to keep pace with the speed and accuracy required in today’s labor market, but also to address two pressing challenges facing countries like Italy and much of Europe: the skills gap crisis and the demographic crisis. In the near future, fewer people will be doing the same jobs as today’s workforce, yet they will be expected to work in increasingly efficient and strategic ways. The only viable path forward is to learn how to leverage AI effectively, and to identify the safest, most reliable solutions to ensure that results are consistently positive.

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