Be Applied

Firstwork, an applied AI platform targeting frontline workforce hiring and operations, has raised a $15M Series A led by Earlybird Venture Capital, with participation from Legion VC, Deel Ventures, Gradient, and Y Combinator. The round signals continued investor appetite for AI-driven solutions addressing high-volume, frontline recruiting bottlenecks.

Darwinbox says it ranks among the top two HCM vendors globally for Applied AI in the 2026 Gartner Critical Capabilities report — a positioning HR-tech buyers evaluating AI-enabled HCM platforms in Asia-Pacific and beyond may note, though the announcement originates from the vendor itself with no independent figures disclosed.

Phenom has published the agenda for AI Day 2026, its annual technical showcase centered on applied AI and agentic capabilities for HR. The event underscores the vendor's continued investment in AI-driven hiring and talent tools, though specific product announcements or launch details have not been disclosed.

Phenom has announced the agenda for its AI Day 2026 event, an annual technical showcase focused on applied AI and agentic tools for HR, according to the release. While the event signals continued vendor investment in AI-driven HR capabilities, the announcement lacks detail on specific product launches or funding developments.

Phenom acquires Be Applied to embed adaptive cognitive assessments into its AI hiring platform. Enterprises can now validate skills at scale, reduce mis-hires (costing 30%+ of salary), and support skills-first hiring as…

The platform giants are racing to deploy autonomous HR agents; California is already telling them where the lines are.

Global marketing, creative, digital and tech talent staffing and recruiting agency; one of the largest US creative staffing firms.

Global staffing, recruitment and workforce-solutions group; one of the world's largest HR services companies.

Canadian staffing and recruitment firm (formerly Design Group Staffing) across engineering, professional, office, technology and industrial roles.

New York-based healthcare hiring, recruiting and credentialing platform; acquired by Viventium.

Nordic talent-assessment and psychometric-testing company for data-driven recruitment and development.

Legacy enterprise applicant tracking system (ATS); formerly Kenexa/IBM BrassRing, used by large regulated Fortune 500 employers.