Latest news with #Humanly
Geek Wire
4 days ago
- Business
- Geek Wire
Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of July 20, 2025
Get caught up on the latest technology and startup news from the past week. Here are the most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of July 20, 2025. Sign up to receive these updates every Sunday in your inbox by subscribing to our GeekWire Weekly email newsletter. Most popular stories on GeekWire In new memo, Microsoft CEO addresses 'enigma' of layoffs amid record profits and AI investments Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella addressed the growing internal unease inside the tech giant Thursday morning, laying out the company's priorities and urging employees to maintain its core values, while conceding that its rapid transition for the artificial intelligence era 'might feel messy at times.' In a company-wide memo, Nadella acknowledged what he called the 'uncertainty and seeming incongruence' of Microsoft's situation. … Read More Meet your AI interviewer: Seattle startup Humanly unveils video bot that grills job applicants 'More human than human' is the tagline for the company that produces replicants, the bioengineered humans that run amok in the classic science-fiction film 'Blade Runner.' 'More Humanly than human' could very well be the pitch on a new product from Seattle-based recruiting software startup Humanly, which unveiled its new 'AI interviewers' on Wednesday. … Read More UW researchers discover AI-powered breakthrough that could boost precision cancer treatment A breakthrough in the science used to customize the treatment of cancer and other diseases is so promising that researchers at the University of Washington are planning to launch a company to commercialize the technology. … Read More AI model from Microsoft and UW maps out breast cancer in MRIs with unprecedented accuracy New research shows how AI technology can spot breast cancer in MRI scans more accurately than current digital methods, while also pinpointing exactly where suspicious tissue is located — a breakthrough that could make the sensitive screening tool available to more women. … Read More
Geek Wire
23-07-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
Meet your AI interviewer: Seattle startup Humanly unveils video bot that grills job applicants
GeekWire's startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory . An AI-generated job interviewer made to look and sound like Sarah Bernstein, people operations manager at Humanly, interviews the real Bernstein, inset, in a demo video from the Seattle startup. (Humanly screen grab) 'More human than human' is the tagline for the company that produces replicants, the bioengineered humans that run amok in the classic science-fiction film 'Blade Runner.' 'More Humanly than human' could very well be the pitch on a new product from Seattle-based recruiting software startup Humanly, which unveiled its new 'AI interviewers' on Wednesday. Billed as an 'AI-powered solution that allows you to interview every candidate over video, any time of day, without sacrificing quality, structure, or human insight,' Humanly views its agentic AI solution as a scalable way to unburden hiring teams that are overwhelmed by intense candidate interest, tight timelines and high expectations. Humanly touted the launch in a blog post and CEO Prem Kumar talked it up on LinkedIn, sharing a video in which an AI version of Humanly People Operations Manager Sarah Bernstein interviewed the real Bernstein about a fictional role as a customer support representative at a fictional company called Acme. 'Now you can interview the world, equitably, and spend human time on the best fits,' Kumar wrote, citing data that says that only about 5% of job candidates get to a human job interviewer. Founded in 2018, Humanly already uses a variety of automation software to help companies screen job candidates, schedule interviews, automate initial communication, run reference checks, and more. It competes against a wide swath of recruiting startups and larger platforms and has raised $24 million to date. Many of Humanly's customers are large companies outside of the tech industry that hire in high volumes. In the 5-minute demo video (below), the AI interviewer comes across as a realistic-looking video version of Bernstein, if not a tad bit robotic. The AI stares directly into the camera, occasionally tilting its head, wrinkling its brow and offering up slight smiles as the real Bernstein answers questions and describes how she's suited for the (fake) role. There's no AI toddler wandering into the background and no AI dog barking in the distance. The video is devoid of any human-generated spontaneity or emotion such as surprise or laughter. It signs off like it's reading an email. Humanly said the AI interviewer was built using analysis from more than 4 million interview interactions and its work 'with leading recruiters to define what makes the 'anatomy of a strong interview.'' The startup also partnered with Katherine Hilton, a linguistics lecturer at Stanford, and Grin Lord, co-founder and CEO of Bellevue, Wash.-based mpathic, a startup whose software analyzes workplace communication. The goal was to reduce bias and improve predictive accuracy, according to Humanly. After an AI interviewer meets with a job candidate, the program provides feedback to a recruiter, highlighting strengths, gaps, and fit. It generates a candidate score and offers a recommendation on whether the candidate should move on to the next round of interviews. In comments on his LinkedIn post, some expressed misgivings about what Kumar and Humanly have built, while others celebrated it as a breakthrough. 'Unfortunately, I'm not as impressed,' wrote Aisha Bower, a product designer and AI enthusiast, according to her LinkedIn profile. 'It falls short of a genuine human experience and could leave interviewees feeling less than seen and heard. They may wonder if the AI agent will represent them accurately to the employer. They may also feel that a company utilizing this for screening is too impersonal, undermining trust.' Bower suggested it could be a good tool marketed to people privately trying to test out their interview skills in preparation for a live session. Startups such as Seattle-based Yoodli offer AI roleplay products along these lines. Prem Kumar, CEO of Humanly, during an episode of the GeekWire series 'Elevator Pitch' in 2022. Kumar won Startup CEO of the Year honors at the 2023 GeekWire Awards. (GeekWire File Photo) Kumar responded by saying that the product is not intended as an AI vs. human comparison. Rather, it's an AI vs. being ignored scenario, in which candidates at least get to feel as if they're moving along in a job search process and not being ghosted. 'The end goal for us is not to feel like a genuine human. I think that boundary needs to be clear,' Kumar wrote. 'But to be human enough to make the candidate feel comfortable in providing detailed enough inputs to be fairly evaluated. Sometimes even more comfortable than a convo with an actual human.' Kumar also noted that there's a candidate fairness aspect at play, theorizing that if a job posting attracts 4,000 inbound applicants, not only will many be ignored, but interview bias will creep in during human-to-human interaction. The New York Times summed up the trend particularly well in a story earlier this month: 'You thought artificial intelligence was coming for your job? First, it's coming for your job interviewer.' While resume screening and meeting scheduling has become an accepted, automated aspect of job searches, autonomous interviewers are popping up from a variety of companies. It's adding AI to a part of the process that has long seemed to most need a human touch, as the Times put it. Some job seekers who spoke to the Times called their interactions with AI 'dehumanizing,' or they wondered whether there was a job at all and if they were just part of an experiment designed to train the AI. In response to one comment on LinkedIn, about whether her AI could just do all the work while she's on vacation, Bernstein joked that she's not sure if Kumar would notice the difference at this point.
Geek Wire
28-05-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
How to land a tech job in the AI era: Founders, recruiters, professors share advice for grads
From top left, clockwise: Wendy Hellar, COO at Prime Team Partners; Kirby Winfield, founding general partner at Ascend; Magdalena Balazinska, director of the UW computer science school; Prem Kumar, CEO at Humanly; Erik Moor, professor at Seattle University; Milena Marinova, CVP at Microsoft; Steve Krenzel, CEO at Logic; and Suresh Kotha, professor at the UW business school. For college graduates walking across the stage and into the workforce, recent headlines may spark concern. SF Standard: Sorry, grads: Entry-level tech jobs are getting wiped out New York Times: I'm a LinkedIn Executive. I See the Bottom Rung of the Career Ladder Breaking. Wall Street Journal: The 'Great Hesitation' That's Making It Harder to Get a Tech Job AI is changing what it means to get a foot in the door in tech. But while the ground is shifting, new grads may be uniquely positioned to adapt. That's one takeaway from investors, professors, and tech execs we spoke with this month to gather advice for the Class of 2025. Their insights offer a roadmap for young tech workers — and anyone trying to navigate today's AI-driven job market. Prem Kumar, CEO at Seattle recruiting startup Humanly Everyone is trying to figure out how to use AI in real-time — and Kumar says this gives new grads an edge. 'You can experiment, build, and push boundaries in ways many people with more experience might not.' Kumar suggests tools such as (for resumes and interview prep) and ChatGPT (to organize your experiences into a searchable reference doc). Non-AI tip: Focus on critical thinking skills. 'In a world where content is infinite and creation is frictionless, the ability to distinguish signal from noise and truth from hype is what will set you apart,' he said. Kirby Winfield, founding general partner at Seattle VC firm Ascend Non-technical grads who want to work at a startup should be bring something concrete — like sales leads — to the table. 'Quick prompting on ChatGPT can build a good lead list,' Winfield said. 'LinkedIn can provide individual points of contact. Showing initiative and the ability to use basic generative AI to help startups grow is a powerful combination.' Magdalena Balazinska, professor and director, University of Washington Allen School of Computer Science Apply broadly — across size and industry — and then choose a job that offers the most learning. 'It's important to optimize for learning and for growth, especially early on in one's career,' she said. Balazinska said companies want strong analytical thinkers with coding and communication skills. She also recommends getting experience with AI to learn its potential — and limitations. 'I recommend learning whatever tools they can put their hands on and, if possible, learn a variety of tools,' she said. Wendy Hellar, COO at Seattle-based recruiting firm Prime Team Partners Hiring managers now expect candidates to be actively using AI. But be careful using them during an interview. 'It's obvious to us when candidates are reading answers and they are not speaking for themselves,' Hellar said. 'AI-generated resumes are also easy to spot — so make sure there is key data and personalized language that reflects the individual.' To stand out: prioritize networking and be open to working in-person, Hellar said. Suresh Kotha, professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the University of Washington Foster School of Business Use AI to amplify your skills and become more productive. 'You become kind of a bionic person with AI,' Kotha said. 'I'm telling my students to learn to use AI and show [companies] that you can improve your productivity with AI and you can go forward, and you can work with this technology and master this technology.' Steve Krenzel, CEO at Seattle enterprise software startup Logic Krenzel said his advice hasn't changed since a decade ago: 'Master the fundamentals, explore every tool you can (both old and new), and build a lot of things,' he said. Building helps clarify your thinking and improves communication, he said. Milena Marinova, corporate vice president at Microsoft Use free or low-cost training to get hands-on experience with AI tools. But remember that timeless skills are still valuable. Overall bias for action, risk-taking, and thinking of out-of-the-box are rewarded, whether you're a new worker or a senior leader. Critical thinking, problem solving, and having a growth mindset are also important, Marinova said. Erik Moore, cybersecurity program director and professor at Seattle University Understanding the privacy and security risks of AI can get you ahead and provide value.
Geek Wire
07-05-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
Despite a hiring slowdown, this recruiting startup is growing faster than ever
GeekWire's startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory . Some of the team at Humanly, a Seattle startup founded in 2018. The company employs 36 people. (Humanly Photo) It may seem a bit counterintuitive that Humanly is thriving as many companies pull back on hiring plans amid broader macroeconomic concerns. But the Seattle-based recruiting software startup is coming off its best two quarters since launching in 2018. Annual revenue is up 3X year-over-year. And it just raised $7 million to capitalize on recent momentum. Humanly uses a variety of automation software to help companies screen job candidates, schedule interviews, automate initial communication, run reference checks, and more. It competes against a wide swath of recruiting startups and larger platforms. Humanly CEO Prem Kumar pointed to several trends helping fuel growth. While hiring may slow, companies are still looking to fill roles — often with smaller recruiting teams. So they look to tools like Humanly for help. Kumar said he noticed this during the pandemic as well. As more candidates apply for fewer roles, companies get more applicant volume. Humanly can help 'engage with that demand at scale,' Kumar said. And as more candidates flow through Humanly's platform, its data models improve — helping better match job seekers with open roles. 'Then when the market rebounds we are also poised with strong candidates on the ready,' Kumar added. Driven in part by its acquisition of Teamable last year, Humanly has invested more heavily in tools to help job candidates — expanding beyond just serving companies. Kumar said 'candidate resentment,' which refers to negative experiences for job applicants, is at an all-time high. If Humanly can help candidates have a better experience on the job hunt (via mock interviews, career advice, etc.), it's betting that this will help companies — reducing their 'time to hire' and overall recruiting-related expenses. Prem Kumar, co-founder and CEO of Humanly, accepts the award for UX Design of the Year at the 2022 GeekWire Awards. (GeekWire File Photo / Kevin Lisota) Humanly screens 250,000 new candidates per month. Many of Humanly's customers are large companies outside of the tech industry that hire in high volumes. Kumar said the company has plenty of runway and didn't need to raise capital, describing the new funding as a 'momentum round.' The company's valuation has doubled since its last raise, Kumar said. Humanly raised $12 million in 2023. Total funding to date is $24 million. Investors in the latest funding round include Drive Capital, Y Combinator, Zeal Capital Partners, Pack Ventures, Elliot Group, Tres Monos, Spark Growth Ventures, TMD Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and several angels. Kumar is a former Microsoft and Tinypulse employee. He co-founded Humanly with Andrew Gardner and Bryan Leptich. The startup graduated from Y Combinator in 2019. Kumar won Startup CEO of the Year honors at the 2023 GeekWire Awards.
