Juicebox, a San Francisco-based startup founded by David Paffenholz and Ishan Gupta, has raised a $30 million Series A led by Sequoia Capital, bringing its total funding to $36 million. The company’s flagship product, PeopleGPT, uses AI to interpret context across profiles and websites, surfacing more relevant candidates than traditional keyword searches. With over 2,500 customers and more than $10 million in ARR, Juicebox is rapidly becoming a key player in AI-driven recruiting, aiming to redefine how startups and enterprises hire talent in the booming AI economy.

San Francisco, September 26, 2025 – San Francisco-based startup Juicebox has raised $30 million in Series A funding led by Sequoia Capital, bringing its total funding to $36 million. The company is betting big on PeopleGPT, an AI-powered recruiting engine designed to transform how businesses discover and engage with talent.

Moving Beyond Keywords

For decades, recruiters have relied on keyword searches across résumés and LinkedIn profiles. While this method helps narrow the talent pool, it still requires recruiters to sift through countless profiles manually. Juicebox aims to solve this bottleneck.

PeopleGPT interprets context across professional profiles, personal websites, and public data, surfacing candidates who might otherwise be overlooked. More than just a search tool, it can automatically reach out via email and even schedule initial calls, streamlining the entire recruitment cycle for both startups and large enterprises.

Investor Confidence Backed by Real-World Results

Sequoia Capital partner David Cahn decided to invest after hearing from founders who had built entire teams using Juicebox without external recruiters—something that was previously considered nearly impossible. The fact that Sequoia’s own internal recruiter adopted PeopleGPT further validated its impact.

“Global hiring has been broken for far too long. Juicebox has proven that AI can fundamentally change how companies attract and engage talent,” said Cahn.

Rapid Growth Without a Sales Team

Juicebox’s growth trajectory has been striking. The company already serves over 2,500 customers, including Cognition, Ramp, and Perplexity, and has surpassed $10 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). Remarkably, this growth has been achieved without a formal sales team, relying almost entirely on organic adoption and word of mouth—a rare feat in the HR tech industry.

Founders with a Fresh Perspective

Juicebox was founded by David Paffenholz (22) and Ishan Gupta (19), who met as students and recognized how large language models could reshape talent discovery. After joining Y Combinator in 2022, they refined their concept and launched PeopleGPT in late 2023. Their fresh approach to recruitment technology has since attracted significant attention and credibility in a crowded market.

The Competitive Landscape

Competition in AI-driven recruiting is intensifying, with established players like Eightfold and other HR tech giants developing similar features. However, Juicebox’s early traction, strong customer advocacy, and ability to deliver hires without traditional recruiters position it with a clear edge.

What’s Next

With its new funding, Juicebox plans to scale engineering and product development, expand PeopleGPT’s capabilities, and meet surging demand from companies racing to fill roles in the booming AI economy.

If momentum continues, Juicebox may soon evolve from a promising tool into the backbone of modern recruitment, helping organizations of all sizes hire faster, smarter, and fairer.