Acquisition
Mar 2026Index.dev acquired Hirebolt and repositioned it as an AI engineering capacity and talent access layer within Index.dev.
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Company research
Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Updated Jul 29, 2026
Overview
Hirebolt is a London-based HR tech / talent marketplace that evolved from Shopscribe, a hospitality hiring automation tool, into an AI engineering capacity platform that helps companies source verified software, data, ML, and AI talent; in March 2026 it was acquired by Index.dev and folded into Index's AI engineering delivery stack.
Primary product
AI engineering capacity platform and verified talent network
Founded
2021
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
Team size
1-10
Industry
HR Tech
Sub-industry
AI recruiting / engineering talent marketplace
Offices
57 Greek Street, London W1D 3DX, United Kingdom
The Biscuit Factory, 100 Drummond Road, London SE16 4DG, United Kingdom
Business model
B2B talent marketplace
Recruiting software / sourcing platform
AI-enabled staffing platform
Funding
Stage
Acquired
Total raised
$1.5M
Latest round
Acquisition · Mar 2026
Mar 2026 · Index.dev
Aug 2021
Jun 2021
People & investors
Leadership
Board Member; Co-Founder and former CEO
Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder
Co-Founder
Work & culture
Lean, speed-first, automation-heavy, with a strong emphasis on candidate ownership, fast shortlisting, and reducing hiring friction.
Compensation
No public salary bands were found; public copy emphasizes that the platform is ~26x cheaper than an agency and gives customers ownership of candidates.
Product & market
Pricing
B2B platform / marketplace pricing; public copy says it is ~26x cheaper than an agency, but no detailed price sheet is public.
Differentiators
- —Verified network of engineers rather than an open marketplace
- —AI-evaluated / expert-evaluated talent
- —Instant search and shortlist workflow
- —Claims an average of 48 hours to first shortlist
- —Global coverage across 40 regions/timezones
- —Candidate ownership for the customer instead of agency-style placement
Technology
AI matching engine
AI chatbot for candidate verification
WhatsApp workflow automation
candidate onboarding forms
social sourcing from Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok
Google and job-board sourcing
Cloudflare email protection
Notion Forms
Front App
LinkedIn company page
Customers
Historical hospitality clients cited on the site include Inception Group, Mr Fogg’s, London Gin Club, Le Bab, Shack Fuyu, Where the Pancakes Are, and Michelin-recommended restaurants.
Public testimonials on the current site mention Poq, Boundaryless, and SpeQtral.
Competitors
Flexiple
The People Network (Fynity)
NP Group
Talentful
Energize Recruitment
Scale & contact
Estimated revenue
≈$330K ARR (2025, public estimate; no audited financials found)
Estimated monthly visits
741
Traffic estimate as of Jul 2026
Signals & risks
Latest news
Medium · Apr 2026
A strategy post from Index.dev leadership explaining the Hirebolt acquisition, the talent gap thesis, and how Hirebolt fits into Index.dev's broader engineering-capacity platform.
Index.dev · Mar 2026
Index.dev says it acquired Hirebolt to combine verified talent access, expert evaluation, and delivery support. The post explains that Hirebolt now serves as an AI engineering capacity and talent access layer inside Index.dev.
EIN Presswire · Mar 2026
Press release announcing the acquisition, citing Hirebolt founders Alex Zhou and Lorenzo Sani and describing the repositioning of Hirebolt toward AI engineering capacity.
LinkedIn · Mar 2026
Index.dev's LinkedIn announcement says it acquired Hirebolt and highlights the founders, Y Combinator backing, and the move toward AI engineering delivery.
Jobs and careers at Hirebolt
0 jobs at Hirebolt
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