How Underdog Works With Startups

February 13, 2025
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How Underdog Works Companies

For job seekers, finding a new job is stressful, time-consuming, and often frustrating. 

For hiring mangers, finding the right talent to join your team can often feel like a daunting task. 

Enter Underdog.io, a marketplace hiring platform that changed the game for hiring leaders and job seekers alike. But what sets Underdog.io apart from the hundreds of other hiring tools out there?

Imagine a world where you could effortlessly sift through a pool of pre-vetted, highly qualified, ready-to-hire candidates, and manage your hiring process with unparalleled efficiency. Underdog.io doesn't just promise these features – it delivers them with a user-friendly interface and innovative technology. Whether you're a startup looking for your next founding developer or a high-growth company aiming to streamline your recruitment process, Underdog.io offers a solution tailored to your needs.

We'll dive deep into the inner workings of Underdog.io. From its advanced search features to its commitment to diversity, and from its efficient candidate management system to its flexible pricing models, we'll explore how this platform is revolutionizing the tech and product hiring landscape. 

Discover the competitive advantages that make Underdog.io a game-changer in the world of talent acquisition

Platform Overview

A. Hiring marketplace model

Founded in NYC, Underdog.io operates as a hiring marketplace, connecting job seekers with pre-seed, seed, Series A-C, and high-growth startups and tech companies in New York City, San Francisco, DC, Boston, LA, Chicago, Austin, and for remote positions. Our platform streamlines the application process, allowing candidates to submit a single ideal job questionnaire to access 650+ hiring partners logging in to find new talent. 

Key features of Underdog.io's hiring marketplace model include:

  • Quality curation: Over 50% of hiring companies seeking to join are rejected, ensuring only top tech firms are featured.
  • Over 1,700 candidates are pre-vetted each week for quality and intent
  • 85%+ candidate response rate within 48 hours
  • Streamlined application process: Candidates can present themselves to multiple opportunities with a single application.
  • Focus on the startup industry: Specializes in connecting talent with startups and established tech companies.

B. Direct communication between employers and candidates

One of Underdog.io's core strengths lies in its ability to facilitate direct connections between job seekers and influential figures within hiring companies. This approach offers several advantages:

  • Enhanced visibility: Candidates gain meaningful attention from founders and hiring managers.
  • Improved decision-making: Both candidates and companies can make informed choices based on direct interactions.
  • Reduced recruitment noise: The platform aims to minimize unwanted recruitment communication.

C. Intuitive candidate search functionalities

Underdog.io prioritizes efficient matching between candidates and employers through its intuitive search features. The platform's functionalities are designed to:

  • Foster meaningful connections between job seekers and employers.
  • Emphasize curation and diversity in the hiring process.
  • Avoid forced matches, allowing for more organic and suitable pairings.
  • Candidates can express interest in your company.

By leveraging these search capabilities, Underdog.io aims to enhance the overall recruiting ecosystem and promote best practices in the industry.

Now that we have covered an overview of the platform, including its hiring marketplace model, direct communication features, and intuitive search functionalities, we'll explore the Advanced Search Features that make Underdog.io stand out in the competitive tech recruitment landscape.

Advanced Search Features

Let's dive into Underdog.io's advanced search features, which set it apart in the tech recruitment landscape.

Role Creation with Specific Filters

Underdog.io offers a sophisticated role creation process that allows recruiters to set specific filters tailored to their needs. This feature enables recruiters to:

  • Define precise job requirements
  • Narrow down candidates based on skills and experience
  • Target specific funding stages within the startup ecosystem

By utilizing these filters, recruiters can efficiently sift through Underdog.io's curated selection of highly qualified candidates, ensuring a better match for their open positions.

Boolean Search Techniques

To further refine the search process, Underdog.io incorporates Boolean search techniques. These advanced search capabilities empower recruiters to:

  1. Combine keywords with operators (AND, OR, NOT)
  2. Create complex search strings to identify ideal candidates
  3. Exclude irrelevant results, saving time and improving search accuracy
  4. You can create “saved” searches, which allows you to be notified of new matches

This feature is particularly valuable for tech recruiters who need to identify candidates with specific combinations of skills or experiences, which is crucial in the fast-paced startup environment.

Diversity-Focused Sourcing Options

Underdog.io recognizes the importance of diversity in tech recruitment and has integrated diversity-focused sourcing options into its platform. These options allow recruiters to:

  • Access a broader talent pool that includes underrepresented groups
  • Implement inclusive hiring practices
  • Align sourcing strategies with diversity and inclusion goals

By offering these tools, Underdog.io not only facilitates efficient hiring but also promotes the creation of diverse and inclusive tech teams.

With these advanced search features in mind, next, we'll explore how Underdog.io further supports promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech recruitment process.

Promoting Diversity and Inclusion

Now that we've explored Underdog.io's advanced search features, let's dive into how the platform promotes diversity and inclusion in the tech industry.

Partnerships with organizations like #HIREBLACK and Girls Who Code

Underdog.io demonstrates its commitment to fostering diversity in the tech sector through strategic partnerships. By collaborating with organizations such as #HIREBLACK and Girls Who Code, the platform actively supports underrepresented groups in technology. These partnerships align with Underdog.io's mission to facilitate informed decision-making and create meaningful connections between job seekers and employers, with a strong emphasis on diversity.

Remote work opportunities

The platform recognizes the importance of flexible work arrangements in promoting inclusivity. By highlighting remote work opportunities, Underdog.io enables a more diverse pool of candidates to access tech jobs, regardless of their geographic location. This approach not only broadens the talent pool for companies but also provides equal opportunities for individuals who may face location-based barriers to employment.

Emphasis on representation in tech industry

Underdog.io places a strong focus on improving representation within the tech industry. The platform's efforts include:

  • Promoting best practices: The platform aims to enhance the overall recruiting ecosystem by encouraging inclusive hiring practices and reducing biases in the recruitment process.

  • Curating diverse talent pools: Underdog.io focuses on creating curated talent pools specifically for tech and startup recruitment, ensuring a diverse range of pre-screened candidates are available to employers.

By emphasizing representation, Underdog.io not only helps companies build more diverse teams but also contributes to changing the face of the tech industry as a whole.

With this strong foundation in promoting diversity and inclusion, Underdog.io seamlessly transitions into providing efficient candidate management tools, which we'll explore in the next section.

Efficient Candidate Management

Now that we've explored how Underdog.io promotes diversity and inclusion, let's dive into the platform's efficient candidate management system, which streamlines the hiring process for both employers and job seekers.

Three-day response requirement

Underdog.io prioritizes timely communication between employers and candidates. The platform has implemented a three-day response requirement, ensuring that job seekers receive prompt feedback on their applications. This feature significantly reduces waiting times and keeps candidates engaged throughout the hiring process.

Profile viewing and sharing profile features

To help hiring managers and recruiters stay organized, Underdog.io provides robust profile tagging and note-taking capabilities. These features allow users to:

  • Hide candidate profiles for easy categorization
  • Documented notes on candidate interactions
  • Collaborate with team members by sharing notes and visibility into your colleagues activity
  • Quickly filter and search through candidate pools

Underdog Integration Partners

We've partnered with industry-leading applicant tracking systems and other tools to help talent teams optimize their recruiting workflows.

  • Ashby
  • Greenhouse
  • Lever
  • Workable
  • Slack

By implementing these efficient candidate management tools, Underdog.io streamlines the recruitment process, saving time and resources for both employers and job seekers. The platform's focus on prompt communication and organization helps ensure that top talent doesn't slip through the cracks.

With this efficient system in place, companies can make informed decisions quickly and effectively. Next, we'll explore Underdog.io's pricing models, which are designed to accommodate various hiring needs and budgets.

Pricing Models

Now that we've explored Underdog.io's efficient candidate management system, let's dive into our flexible pricing models, which are designed to cater to various hiring needs and team sizes.

A. Pay Per Placement Plan: Percentage fee on first-year base salary

The Starter Plan is ideal for companies with occasional hiring needs or those new to the platform. Key features include:

  • Access to a weekly curated list of top-tier candidates
  • Unlimited users on the platform
  • Opportunity to hire from the top 10% of candidates who are ready to be hired

This plan offers a cost-effective solution for companies looking to tap into Underdog.io's pool of talent without committing to a larger package.

B. Unlimited Hiring Plan: 12-month unlimited hiring subscription

For companies with more frequent hiring requirements, the Unlimited Hiring Plan offers additional benefits:

  • No individual hiring fees: saving thousands of dollars
  • Unlimited users on the platform
  • Perfect for rapidly scaling startups or established companies undergoing significant expansion

This plan offers the most cost-effective solution for companies planning to make multiple hires across various departments.

C. Equity ExchangePlan: No fees for hiring in exchange for equity

The Equity Exchange Plan is tailored for seed companies with extensive hiring needs:

  • No individual hiring fees
  • Unlimited access to Underdog.io's entire candidate pool

D. Direct Sourcing Plan: A hands on approach for hard-to-fill roles

Our team of experienced tech recruiters and exclusive candidate pool, along with powerful tools, will identify and source candidates to help you make critical hires.

Underdog.io's pricing models are designed to be transparent and flexible, allowing companies to choose the option that best fits their startup hiring strategy and budget. By offering these diverse plans, Underdog.io ensures that businesses of all sizes can benefit from their curated talent marketplace at a significantly lower cost compared to traditional recruiting methods (20% to 30% fee on base salary)

With these flexible pricing options in mind, next, we'll explore Underdog.io's competitive advantages and how they set themselves apart in the tech recruitment landscape.

Competitive Advantages

Now that we've covered the pricing models offered by Underdog.io, let's explore the competitive advantages that set this tech recruitment platform apart from others in the industry.

  • Efficient candidate data management
  • Streamlined workflow between sourcing and hiring processes
  • Reduced manual data entry and potential errors
  • Pre-vetted candidates 
  • Ready-to-hire candidates
  • Fast candidate responses
  • New candidates every Monday
  • Free company profile where existing cohorts can interact with your brand and reach out directly
  • Strong brand within the startup community, attracting thousands of fresh talent every week
  • Advanced filtering options to identify underrepresented candidates
  • Adaptive filters that evolve with company maturity (pre-product-market fit to hypergrowth)

Conclusion

For scaling startups, Underdog.io transforms hiring from a operational burden into a strategic growth lever. By combining human-driven candidate vetting along with human expertise, the platform delivers mission-critical roles while maintaining the nuanced evaluation essential for early-stage hiring teams.

our hiring marketplace's true value lies in surfacing talent that embodies both the technical rigor and cultural resilience required to thrive in high-stakes environments—proving that scalable processes and human insight aren’t mutually exclusive in the race to build groundbreaking teams.

Underdog.io stands out as a powerful startup hiring platform, offering advanced search features, promoting diversity and inclusion, and providing efficient candidate management tools. With an intuitive interface, coupled with features like Boolean search, saved search options, and specific role filters, streamlines the recruitment process for employers. 

Whether you're a recently funded startup or a high-growth corporation, our startup hiring marketplace offers the tools and resources needed to connect with top talent efficiently. By leveraging Underdog.io's comprehensive features, companies can streamline their hiring processes and build diverse, skilled teams ready to drive innovation and success.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Underdog.io a recruiting agency?

No. Recruiting agencies essentially act as a broker between you and the candidate. Underdog is a hiring marketplace. We create transparency between you and the candidate by bringing active employers and pre-vetted active candidates to the same place and allowing you to reach out to them directly.

Who are Underdog’s competitors?

When we first started the 2 main competitors were Vettery and Hired. Vettery purchased Hired and rebranded to Hired. Hired was purchased by a staffing agency and is now a closed marketplace. Triplebyte came on the marketplace scene a few years later, and has been sold to Karat. Wellfound’s Curated product offering is the only competitor at the moment. 

What cities does Underdog work in?

Underdog was founded in the NYC startup scene. We quickly grew to San Francisco. Our hiring partners are located in NYC, Boston, DC, Chicago, San Fran, Austin, and Seattle. We also have a large remote hiring customer base. Candidates indicate their preferences and founders/hiring managers can filter based on their needs.

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