Prime Highlights-
- urfuture co-founder Tom Keighley will speak on the breakfast panel at FUEL Manchester on Wednesday 28th October.
- The urfuture app became the fifth most downloaded business app in August, ahead of Zoom.
Key Facts-
- River Capital led a £1.7 million seed round, with backing from SyndicateRoom’s Access fund, Manchester Angels, Fhunded, Solid Bond, Host Capital and sector angels.
- West Midlands Police, Tesco, British Airways and Electricity North West already use the platform to attract and assess early-career talent.
Background-
Tom Keighley, co-founder of HR tech startup urfuture, will speak on the breakfast panel at FUEL Manchester. Sign-up is free.
Keighley, a star of BusinessCloud’s Founder 250 list, leads the company as chief executive. He started urfuture in Preston in 2024 with chief operating officer Jayel Williams and chief commercial officer Holly Hobbs. The team moved to Manchester at the start of the year and then raised £1.7 million in seed funding.
In August, the urfuture app became the fifth most downloaded business app, ahead of Zoom. Only Indeed, Teams, LinkedIn and WhatsApp ranked higher. Keighley said the achievement left him lost for words, and he needed a moment to let it sink in. He credited grit, innovation and authenticity, and a team that matches the audience it wants to reach.
River Capital led the investment. SyndicateRoom’s Access fund, Manchester Angels, Fhunded, Solid Bond, Host Capital and several sector angels also took part.
The startup is building a hiring platform that pairs a social-first Gen Z distribution engine with a behavioural science matching algorithm. Employers can find motivated, diverse candidates and make fairer hiring decisions. West Midlands Police, Tesco, British Airways and Electricity North West already use it.
The launch comes as the number of 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training nears one million. Keighley said urfuture aims to become the front door to employment for the next generation.
