OfferZen changes leadership after R82m funding

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer
Johannesburg, 26 Jan 2024
Philip Joubert, co-founder of OfferZen.
Philip Joubert, co-founder of OfferZen.

Cape Town-based software developer jobs marketplace OfferZen has announced leadership changes, after securing a €4 million (about R82 million) funding round from several investors.

The investment round saw participation from venture capital firms Invenfin, represented by partners Peter van der Zee and Theo van den Berg, and AI Capital, with partners Roger Grobler, Nic Kohler, Willem Roos and Michael Jordaan.

OfferZen connects a community of over 100 000 developers to more than 2 000 companies across Africa and Europe.

According to a statement, after three years as CEO of OfferZen, Philip Joubert is handing over the reins to Matt Beck, previously VP of marketing.

It adds that some of the funding will be channelled towards scaling the business and continuous innovation.

"Securing this funding from investors who share our long-term vision is a testament to our team's hard work," notes co-founder Joubert.

“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with investors that bring so much experience. Their support and capital investment will help us make a lot of product improvements over the coming months.”

Joubert says he will remain in the firm as an overseer, “focusing on the big picture and helping the business stay close to the tech community’s needs”.

According to Joubert, Beck has been instrumental in driving scale at OfferZen. In his new role, he will be responsible for managing the recruitment marketplace’s overall operations and ensuring execution of organisational strategy.

“I’m really excited about this year. Our customers can expect the most significant updates to the platform yet in the coming months, as we’re introducing completely new ways for candidates and companies to connect using artificial intelligence (AI),” comments Beck.

The new feature will allow developers to browse the jobs that companies are hiring for on OfferZen, see AI recommendations based on their preferences, and apply directly using their existing OfferZen profile.

AI will also ensure companies receive high-quality inbound applicants from any channel and, eventually, have those candidates pre-categorised with AI, based on how well they match the job.

The beta launch of the new feature is expected during Q1 2024, says the company.

According to OfferZen, 2023 was marked by adversity for tech companies, with global venture capital funding plummeting to less than a third of its 2021 peak.

The company says it witnessed its customers’ struggle first-hand, which is why it decided in early 2023 to introduce Unlimited, a fixed-fee unlimited hiring subscription, designed to ease the financial burden on tech companies.