Norfolk, Va.-based Reelist, which builds technology to help hire talent from social media platforms, has raised $3 million in a seed round. Its current and prior backers include Techstars, the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp. (VIPC), Norfolk, Va.-based 757 Accelerate, Los Angeles-based Core Innovation Capital, The Artemis Fund and RedBud VC, according to Pitchbook.
Founded in 2022 by former AOL executive Katy Schuck and OpReady founder Sean Worden, Reelist helps HR teams create short-form videos, and build communities and referrals, helping them tap talent on TikTok, Instagram and other social media outlets.
In 2022, Reelist was awarded an initial $20,000 Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) grant in conjunction with the company’s participation in the 757 Accelerate startup accelerator program. The next year VIPC handed Reelist another CCF grant of $75,000.
“We believe the job market is broken for job seekers and employers,” Worden, who serves as CEO of Reelist, said in 2023 when the startup received a grant from VIPC. “It takes too much time and effort to get a job and too many resources to hire. Reelist is solving these problems and driving incredible results for our customers. We’re enabling them to attract qualified talent faster than industry averages.”
“We are pleased to award a CCF grant to Reelist,” said Jeanette Townsend, VIPC’s director for Private Sector Grants. “VIPC’s CCF grant program plays an important role in getting funding to Virginia-based pre-seed and seed-stage startups when they need it most.” Reelist’s innovative recruiting solution is gaining the attention of employers large and small who have struggled to find and hire Gen Z employees, she added.
VIPC is the nonprofit operations arm of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA). Since 2012, its CCF programs have distributed about $50 million to Virginia-based startups, entrepreneurs and university-based inventors. VIPC’s competitive grant program typically gives up to $75,000 to high-potential Virginia-based for-profit technology companies at the early stage of commercialization.
