With Fresh Rebrand and New Venture Raise, Charleston-based AI Startup Is Streamlining The Hiring Process For Hourly Workers

Just as sprockets link together different parts of a machine, the co-founders of Charleston-based Sentio believe the right new employees drive organizational efficiency and harmony. So much so, they’ve decided to use the word in the company’s rebrand.

“‘Sprockets’ represents our mission more clearly,” Matt Kuraska told Hypepotamus via email. “Sentio means “to understand,” but we go far beyond understanding workplaces and candidates. We determine if candidates will fit — and work harmoniously — with other coworkers, thrive in their unique environments, and stay long-term.”

The Saas platform and its Applicant Matching System uses both AI technology and psychology to help companies and hiring managers evaluate potential hires based on the traits of that company’s current best employees. 

Sprockets says their surveys and algorithms help eliminate bias in hiring processes. Additionally, it can also ultimately decrease costs associated with employee turnover.   

Sprockets told Hypepotamus that 328 businesses in the restaurant, retail, call center, and health studio space use the platform. Some big names include McDonald’s, Chick-fil-a, and HomeWell. 50,000+ applicants have utilized its mental make-up analysis.

Along with the new name, Sprockets announced it raised a $3.4 million venture round.

The new venture round included investment from New York-based Lytical Ventures, Thayer Ventures, Healthy Ventures, and VentureSouth.

CEO AJ Richichi added in a press statement: “We started Sprockets to make a profound change to a hiring process that is plagued with inefficiencies and bias. This investment changes the scale of that mission, and we were thrilled to find partners that believe in its integrity.”

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