Candid Hospitality, a Hull, UK-based matchmaking platform for hospitality recruitment, has raised £785,000 in seed funding.
Investors
The round was led by NPIF II – Mercia Equity Finance, with participation from Haatch and an angel investor.
NPIF II – Mercia Equity Finance, operated by the British Business Bank, provides debt and equity funding to support smaller businesses across the North of England. The £660m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIFII) covers the entire North of England and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investments up to £5m to help a range of small and medium-sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead.
Candid Hospitality Use of Funds
The company will use the funding to develop its platform further, double the size of its team, and support continued growth in the UK hospitality recruitment market.
About Candid Hospitality
Founded by Sam Brown and Nick Holroyd-Doveton, Candid Hospitality is a recruitment platform purpose-built for the hospitality industry. It offers a CV-free recruitment process focused on matching candidates and employers based on culture, competencies, and compensation. The platform protects candidate anonymity, encourages passive talent discovery, and reduces unconscious bias. It helps ambitious operators attract, engage, and retain the right talent. Launched in February 2025, Candid has already attracted over 3,000 candidates and 100 brands including Big Table Group, Loungers, Honest Burgers, Turtle Bay, Punch Pubs, Flight Club, and The Alchemist resulting in over 700 matches.
Funding Details
Company: Go Candid Ltd.
Raised: £0.785M
Round: Seed
Funding Date: June 2025
Lead Investor: NPIF II – Mercia Equity Finance
Additional Investors: Haatch, angel investor
Company Website: https://www.candid.hospitality/
Software Category: Recruitment Tech / HR Tech / SaaS
Source: Pauline Rawsterne, PR Agent – Turquoise PR