Funding news · Sep 22, 2026
Spott raises €18.3M Series A led by Balderton Capital for AI-native recruiting ATS/CRM
Spott Raises €18.3M Series A Led by Balderton Capital
Spott, a Leuven, Belgium-based startup building an AI-native applicant tracking system (ATS) and CRM for recruiting and staffing agencies, has raised €18.3 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Balderton Capital, with participation from Base10 Partners, Fortino Capital, and Y Combinator.
What Spott Does
Spott is positioning itself as a modern alternative to legacy recruiting platforms such as Bullhorn and Loxo. Rather than assembling a stack of disconnected add-ons, the company offers a single system that unifies several core workflows for recruiting and staffing agencies:
- Candidate matching
- AI note-taking
- Multi-channel communication
- Client presentations
The company's thesis is that recruiting teams are better served by one integrated, AI-native platform than by a patchwork of point solutions layered onto older software.
Company Background
Spott is backed by Y Combinator, having participated in the Winter 2025 batch. The company is based in Leuven, Belgium, and was founded by alumni of McKinsey, Bain, and BCG. It reports a team of approximately 15 people.
Round Details
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Round type | Series A |
| Amount | €18,300,000 |
| Currency | EUR |
| Funding date | September 22, 2026 |
| Lead investor | Balderton Capital |
| Participating investors | Base10 Partners, Fortino Capital, Y Combinator, Balderton Capital |
Why This Matters for the Recruiting Software Market
The ATS and staffing CRM category has long been dominated by established platforms that predate the current wave of AI-native tooling. Spott's approach — consolidating matching, note-taking, communication, and client-facing presentations into one system — targets the fragmentation that many agencies manage today through integrations and third-party add-ons.
A €18.3 million Series A is a meaningful step for a company of roughly 15 people. It signals investor conviction in the team's background and in the opportunity to displace legacy systems in the recruiting and staffing software market. Balderton Capital's lead position, alongside continued backing from Y Combinator and participation from Base10 Partners and Fortino Capital, gives Spott a mix of early-stage and growth-oriented investors as it scales.
What to Watch
For observers tracking the recruiting software space, Spott is a company to watch as it uses this Series A to build out its AI-native ATS/CRM. The competitive set — legacy platforms like Bullhorn and Loxo — is well established, so execution on product consolidation and agency adoption will be the key markers of progress.
Summary
- Company: Spott
- HQ: Leuven, Belgium
- What it does: AI-native ATS/CRM for recruiting and staffing agencies
- Round: Series A
- Amount: €18.3 million
- Lead investor: Balderton Capital
- Other investors: Base10 Partners, Fortino Capital, Y Combinator
- Funding date: September 22, 2026
- Backing: Y Combinator (Winter 2025)
- Team size: ~15
- Founders: Ex-McKinsey, Bain, and BCG alumni