The individuals who work on transport vessels are very important to world commerce, however they nonetheless expertise a whole lot of arcane hiring processes. Many lack transparency about essential issues like pay and even the working circumstances of they ships they may spend months on. Maritime recruitment platform Seafair was created to unravel these issues. It vets seafarers and transport operators and makes use of matching algorithms to suit crew members with the proper vessels.
The corporate introduced in the present day it has raised $5.7 million led by Common Catalyst, with participation from FirstMinute Capital, Sign Ventures, TA Ventures, SV Angel, SpeedInvest and returning investor FJ Labs. This brings Seafair’s whole funding to about $7 million.
Seafair was launched late final yr by Agapitos Diakogiannis, who was born and raised in Greece, and its present shoppers embrace one of many world’s prime 100 procuring corporations.
“Greece is without doubt one of the international superpowers in transport, so after I was working in consulting, I principally targeted on maritime tasks. I turned near the trade and actually fell in love with it.”
After consulting, Diakogiannis frolicked in enterprise capital, have been he noticed how labor marketplaces are disrupting industries like development, manufacturing, oil and gasoline.
Diakogiannis realized he had the community to deal with a big market alternative, however there was one more reason for beginning Seafair. After speaking to seafarers, he realized how opaque the hiring course of is. Many individuals have hassle discovering jobs though their labor is in excessive demand they usually don’t know so much about working circumstances or cost earlier than accepting a placement.
Seafair matches staff with transport corporations primarily based on their background, abilities and efficiency, and makes use of matching algorithms to make the method of filling vacancies extra environment friendly. It additionally supplies vessel operators with human sources software program that helps them consolidate information that’s in any other case siloed in several ERP platforms and spreadsheets. Seafair is presently targeted on senior officer roles, like chief engineers and ship masters, since these positions are those which have probably the most certification and coaching to trace.
Transport corporations are primarily based world wide, however about 50% of seafarers come from Ukraine and the Philippines, so that they sometimes depend on companies to employees vessels. Since companies depend on hiring commissions to earn cash, nevertheless, they may not at all times present the most effective matches for openings, Diakogiannis mentioned.
Seafair supplies a digitized and extra clear model of conventional companies (and is licensed to function as an company in Ukraine and the Philippines, with extra international locations deliberate).
First, seafarers add their CVs on-line, then Seafair runs a collection of background checks and on-line assessments. If it decides somebody is an efficient match for a vessel, the platform schedules interviews. If they’re employed, Seafair begins the deployment course of, together with digital contracts.
The platform additionally verifies employers and the vessels below their administration earlier than they’ll begin utilizing Seafair. The startup’s HR software program contains instruments to handle funds, insurance coverage, schedules and relaxation hours. A few of its options custom-made to the maritime trade embrace alerts for when a seafarer’s certifications are going to run out, and wage suggestions to assist improve retention charges.
Seafair’s new funding shall be used to construct extra expertise for seafarer vetting and increase in markets together with Germany, Nordic international locations and america.
In a press release, Common Catalyst managing director Niko Bonatsos mentioned, “The maritime trade is without doubt one of the final untapped frontiers. One wants deep trade insights, an bold imaginative and prescient and a decided staff to achieve a market like this—and we noticed all of the above in Seafair.”