Searchlight
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
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Sections to complete：02 · 05
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Searchlight was a California AI-based recruitment and assessment startup founded in 2018 by twin sisters Kerry Wang (CEO) and Anna Wang (CTO), Stanford graduates recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30, who started with Y Combinator. It built a bias-free AI engine that understood competencies, soft skills, working styles and job requirements — combining proprietary data and custom assessments, AI-driven resume analysis and in-depth reference questions to spot candidates likely to succeed, four times more accurately than traditional hiring techniques. Its customers included Udemy, Zapier and Talkdesk. It raised nearly $20 million from Founders Fund and Accel. In April 2024, UK apprenticeship unicorn Multiverse acquired Searchlight for an undisclosed price to build new AI products for its training services.
02 / FAILURE REASONS
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03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Company founded
Twin sisters Kerry and Anna Wang found Searchlight in California via Y Combinator to use AI in hiring.
- Funding and customers
Searchlight raises nearly $20 million from Founders Fund and Accel and serves customers including Udemy, Zapier and Talkdesk.
- Acquired by Multiverse
On April 8, 2024, Multiverse announces the acquisition of Searchlight; the team joins to lead Multiverse's AI initiatives, and Searchlight's recruitment services are wound down after existing contracts end.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
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Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN / AFTERMATH
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