Prem Kumar
Prem Kumar is the Co-Founder and CEO at Humanly, a startup focused on AI for hiring, and serves as an Official Member at Forbes Business Council. He has expertise in AI for candidate sourcing, qualification, and scheduling.
Prem Kumar - Co-Founder and CEO of Humanly
Prem Kumar is the Co-Founder and CEO of Humanly, a Bellevue-based hiring technology company built to fix something he saw up close: two people interviewing for the exact same job with the exact same panel getting treated completely differently. Before Humanly, Prem spent about a decade at Microsoft and led product and design at TinyPulse. Humanly went through Y Combinator and has raised roughly $52 million to date—most recently a $25 million Series B. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Humanly Acquires Anthill to Expand AI Hiring Platform with Employee Engagement Features
Humanly, an AI-powered hiring startup based in Bellevue, Washington, acquired Anthill to enhance its employee engagement capabilities. This acquisition follows Humanly's previous purchases of three recruiting technology companies and aims to integrate post-hire engagement with its existing candidate attraction, screening, and interviewing tools.
Humanly Raises $25M to Deliver AI-Vetted Job Seekers and Launch Candidate Coaching Products
Humanly raised $25 million in Series B funding to expand from providing AI-powered recruiting tools for employers to delivering pre-vetted, ready-to-hire job seekers on demand, alongside launching AI coaching products for candidates. The company aims to build a continuously updated database of screened job seekers to serve as a staffing agency replacement.
Allen Institute for AI, Carbon Robotics, DAT Freight & Analytics, Humanly, and Yoodli Named 2026 GeekWire Workplace of the Year Finalists
The 2026 GeekWire Awards Workplace of the Year finalists include Allen Institute for AI, Carbon Robotics, DAT Freight & Analytics, Humanly, and Yoodli, recognized for building exceptional workplace cultures based on core values like trust and openness. The award ceremony occurs on May 7 in Seattle, with public voting open through April 16.
Seattle Recruiting Startup Humanly Acquires Sprockets, Qualifi, and HourWork to Expand AI Hiring Platform
Seattle startup Humanly has acquired recruiting tech companies Sprockets, Qualifi, and HourWork to expand its AI-driven hiring platform encompassing sourcing to post-hire engagement. This move follows a $1 billion rival acquisition in the HR tech sector and aims to automate efficient, equitable candidate interactions amid growing application volumes.
Seattle Startup Humanly Launches AI Video Interviewer to Streamline Job Candidate Screening
Seattle startup Humanly unveiled an AI-powered video interviewer that can interview candidates anytime while maintaining quality and structure, aiming to ease hiring workloads. The AI interviewers replicate real staff and help companies, especially those hiring in large volumes, conduct more equitable and scalable candidate assessments.
Reimagining Hiring in the Age of AI and Bias with Humanly CEO Prem Kumar
In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Boaz welcomes Prem Kumar, CEO of Humanly and GeekWire Award winner for CEO of the Year. With his unique background as both a buyer of HR solutions at Microsoft and a startup leader at TINYpulse, Prem shares how his company is revolutionizing the hiring process through AI-powered solutions that create more human-centered experiences. Prem dives into the challenges facing today's job seekers and recruiters, revealing how Humanly's technology enables meaningful two-way conversations for every candidate within 24 hours of application. The discussion explores how AI can reduce bias in hiring, improve standardization…
Seattle Recruiting Startup Humanly Triples Revenue and Raises $7 Million Amid Hiring Slowdown
Seattle-based recruiting software startup Humanly is experiencing rapid growth with a 3X annual revenue increase and a recent $7 million funding raise, despite a broader hiring slowdown. The company uses automation to help companies manage increased applicant volumes and improve candidate experiences, positioning itself strongly for market rebounds.
Seattle Startup Humanly Acquires AI Recruiting Firm Teamable, Expands Team and Product Leadership
Seattle startup Humanly has acquired San Francisco-based Teamable to enhance its AI-driven recruiting technology. The acquisition brings Teamable CEO Matthew Raymond to Humanly as vice president of product, expanding Humanly's team to just under 50 employees.
Seattle Startup MotherDuck Hires Former Google Leaders Frances Perry and Margaret Lawrence Rosas; Humanly Adds VP of Growth Pallavi Sinha
Seattle startup MotherDuck hired Frances Perry, a former Google engineering director, as engineering manager, and Margaret Lawrence Rosas, former Looker and Google executive, as head of customer success. Additionally, Pallavi Sinha joined Seattle startup Humanly as vice president of growth.
Humanly Raises $12M to Expand AI Recruiting Software Used by Microsoft and Seattle Storm
Seattle-based recruiting automation startup Humanly raised $12 million to expand its AI-powered hiring software, which is used by clients like Microsoft and Seattle Storm. The company is enhancing its SMS chatbots and generative AI tools to improve efficiency, reduce bias, and maintain consistent candidate data throughout the hiring process.
Grin Lord, CEO of Seattle’s mpathic, Finalist for Startup CEO of the Year at 2023 GeekWire Awards for Empathy-Driven Communication Software
Grin Lord, CEO and co-founder of Seattle startup mpathic, specializes in using empathy to improve corporate communication and is a finalist for Startup CEO of the Year at the 2023 GeekWire Awards. Her company applies machine learning to analyze conversations and foster empathy across industries such as insurance, healthcare, and human resources.
GeekWire Awards Reveal 2023 Startup CEO of the Year Finalists from Rebellyous Foods, Humanly, and Others
The 2023 GeekWire Awards announced finalists for Startup CEO of the Year, including leaders from startups in plant-based foods, mental health, employee communication, DNA analysis, and candidate screening automation. Voting continues until May 1, with winners revealed at the May 18 awards event hosted by Astound Business Solutions.
GeekWire's Elevator Pitch Season 3 Features Startup CEOs Pitching in Smith Tower Elevator to Win Finals at October 2022 Summit
GeekWire’s Elevator Pitch returns with a competition where entrepreneurs pitch startups like Radious, Tribute, and Humanly.io in 32 seconds during an elevator ride to Seattle's Smith Tower. The season includes a series of episodes leading to a live finale at the 2022 GeekWire Summit on October 6.
GeekWire returns in person for 2022 Awards at Showbox SoDo, honoring 60+ finalists across 15 categories with 16,000+ votes
GeekWire held its first in-person GeekWire Awards in three years at Showbox SoDo in Seattle, honoring 60+ finalists across 15 categories with over 16,000 community votes and appearances by local tech leaders and entertainers.
Humanly raises $4.3M led by Zeal Capital Partners to scale automated hiring tools; total funding $5.3M
Seattle HR startup Humanly raised $4.3 million led by Zeal Capital Partners (bringing total funding to $5.3 million) to expand its recruiting software that automates candidate screening, scheduling, initial communications and reference checks, and claims sixfold revenue growth over the past year.
Humanly raises $800,000 from TMD Ventures, Gusto and Kinetica CFOs to expand AI hiring tools
Seattle startup Humanly raised $800,000 from investors including TMD Ventures, Gusto CFO Mike Dinsdale and Kinetica CFO Dean Neese to expand its AI recruiting tools that screen candidates, schedule interviews and run reference checks amid COVID-19–driven hiring changes. The company says automation and bias-reducing features help employers manage larger applicant pools while improving inclusion.
Organizations
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Seattle University STEM Innovator In Residence 2024–present · current
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New York University Guest Lecturer 2023–present · current
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Venture Out Startups Venture Out Mentor 2021–present · current
Education
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University of Washington Bachelor of Science (BS), Informatics · 2002–2006
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Y Combinator Winter 2020 Batch
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International Community School
