Scooter, a Pune-based sales-hiring startup, has raised Rs 1.5 crore in a pre-seed round led by AJVC. AJVC is the pre-seed fund run by Aviral Bhatnagar. The company did not disclose its revenue or valuation. The investment is AJVC’s first in a Pune-based startup.
Assessment-led hiring
At the centre of Scooter’s service is an assessment-led process for sales roles. Instead of relying mainly on CVs, the platform assesses candidates through real sales scenarios. It sources verified sales professionals and puts them through assessments based on those situations.
After the assessments, hiring managers receive a shortlist of three to five candidates. Managers can watch short video clips from the assessments before looking at a candidate’s CV. This gives them assessment material to review before considering an applicant’s written profile.
The company says its service helps startups and sales teams cut the time spent finding and evaluating sales candidates. Its workflow combines sourcing, assessment and shortlisting for teams hiring sales professionals. Scooter says it aims to simplify the process for both candidates and hiring managers.
Founders and experience
Kartik Mandrekar and Saumya Seth founded Scooter in 2024. Mandrekar has earlier led sales teams at Gartner, Shoptimize and Graas. Seth is a behavioural scientist with a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
The startup’s product focuses on sales hiring, using assessments to give employers another way to evaluate candidates. Its process places scenario-based assessments and short video clips before CV review. Hiring managers can then consider a shortlist rather than begin with the full candidate pool.
Customers and candidates
Scooter works with more than 50 companies, according to the company. It has added 14 customers in recent months and built a pool of over 10,000 sales candidates. The figures cover both employers using the platform and professionals available through its candidate pool.
One customer completed a sales hire through the platform in six days, the company said. That hiring example comes as Scooter works with companies seeking sales professionals. The company did not provide further details about the role or hiring process.
Use of funds
Scooter will use the funding for its product and to simplify sales hiring for candidates and hiring managers. The planned spending links product work with the experience of both sides of the hiring process. The company has not disclosed a valuation alongside the funding announcement.
The round gives the Pune-based startup pre-seed capital for its stated product plans. AJVC led the investment, marking its first investment in a startup based in Pune. Scooter’s hiring process centres on verified candidates, practical assessments and a shortlist for managers.