AI recruitment startup Dex has raised $5.3 million in a seed funding round led by Notion Capital, with participation from a16z Speedrun, Concept Ventures, and angel investors from OpenAI and other firms. The new round brings the company’s total funding to $8.4 million.
Targeting elite technical talent
Founded by former Atomico advisor Paddy Lambros, Dex describes itself as an “AI talent agent” focused on high-end technical hiring, including AI researchers and software engineers. The company says its platform has registered more than 15,000 engineers and is already serving over 50 tech companies, including ElevenLabs and Synthesia.
How Dex’s hiring model works
Dex interacts with candidates through voice or text and uses models from OpenAI and Anthropic to build profiles before matching talent with employers through its proprietary engine. Rather than selling recruiting software to companies, Dex follows a placement-based model. It charges employers 20% to 30% of a candidate’s salary when a hire is successfully made.
Revenue growth and path to profitability
According to the company, since introducing its current fee structure in late 2025, Dex has reached annualized revenue of about $1.8 million. It also says it is on track to become profitable this year. The funding round suggests continued investor interest in AI-powered recruitment tools, particularly platforms focused on placing scarce, high-value engineering and AI talent.