HireBound and Basil Raise USD 2 Mn Each to Scale AI Recruiting and Kids Essentials Businesses

AI Recruiting Startup HireBound Bags USD 2 Mn Seed Funding

AI recruiting platform HireBound has raised USD 2 million in a seed funding round led by Kalaari Capital. The round also saw participation from Antler, Infinyte Club and CareerNet.

The fresh funds will be used to advance product development, expand go-to-market efforts and support global growth. It is aiming to increase its annual recurring revenue fivefold over the next 12 to 18 months.

Founded in 2024 by Sharad Vij and Kumar Vikramaditya, HireBound develops an agentic conversational AI platform that automates candidate engagement from sourcing and screening to evaluation and interview scheduling. The platform’s AI agents operate across voice, WhatsApp, SMS and email channels, and have powered more than 3 million candidate interactions.

Trained on over two million resumes and 30,000 job openings, the system supports staffing firms and enterprise hiring teams.

HireBound currently has a 15-member team across product, AI/ML, engineering and operations, and plans to expand internationally while adapting to regional compliance requirements.

Kids Essentials Brand Basil Raises USD 2 Mn in Pre-Series A Funding

Online kids essentials platform Basil has raised USD 2 million in a pre-Series A funding round led by Prime Venture Partners, with continued participation from existing investors Appreciate Capital and IIMA Ventures. The investment marks Prime Venture Partners’ first investment in a consumer brand.

The fresh capital will support Basil’s expansion into new product categories such as bags and water bottles. The company also plans to strengthen its supply chain, expand its leadership and product teams, and increase spending on brand-building initiatives.

Founded in 2024 by husband-and-wife duo Harini Rajagopalan, formerly with Amazon and Flipkart Group, and Mahesh Muraleedharan, previously with Uber India, Basil positions itself as a premium kids-first essentials brand.

The brand designs school products including bento lunch boxes and insulated food jars, using certified materials and themed designs aimed at children.

Basil operates through its direct-to-consumer platform and online marketplaces such as Amazon and Flipkart. It has built a production network across India, China and Southeast Asia and serves customers across more than 20,000 pincodes in India.

The startup currently reports an annual recurring revenue of INR 36 crore and aims to reach INR 100 crore ARR over the next year.