This startup’s AI interviews aim for fairer hiring

This article is a part of Startup Spotlight, a series that features young, up-and-coming startups.

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Having spent a decade scaling tech startups across Southeast Asia, Yewwai Kong, the founder of Ourteam identified a critical inefficiency in hiring. A month in Silicon Valley reinforced the idea: AI could redefine candidate evaluation. This led to Ourteam, aiming to make hiring faster and fairer.

😟 Problem

Recruiters in Asia face hundreds of applications for each role. Manual screening is slow, inconsistent, and often biased. Most hiring teams rely on intuition, leading to prolonged processes. Companies receive over 70 applicants per role, yet few are interviewed, causing significant delays.

💡 Solution

Ourteam replaces manual screening with AI interviews. Candidates complete a 20-minute structured conversation, currently in English, Bahasa Indonesia, or Vietnamese. The AI evaluates skills, communication, and confidence.

• Recruiters receive AI summaries and match scores quickly.
• The platform is self-serve, with branded application flows.
• It integrates with existing hiring tools.

Image credit: Ourteam

📊 Market size

The Asia-Pacific staffing and recruitment market was valued at US$158 billion in 2023. It is projected to reach US$445 billion by 2031. Growth is driven by digital transformation and the gig economy. Southeast Asian countries have average labor forces of 85-90 million people. Over 50,000 mid-to-large employers in the region represent potential customers.

🤝 Team

• Yewwai Kong: Founder, former COO of TipTip, former VP of product at OVO. Experienced scaling consumer-tech platforms across Asia-Pacific.
• Jovi Chu: AI product designer and PM hybrid. Led the end-to-end redesign of Ourteam’s platform.

🚀 Traction

• Works with 50+ employers across Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Indonesia
• Active AI screening pilots with regional enterprises in Malaysia and Vietnam
• Early clients report up to 70% faster shortlists and 50% less screening time
• Selected for the GenAI Fund’s FastTrack AI Accelerator program with NVIDIA
• Strategic partnership with PayGap Asia to advance pay transparency
• Completed over 1,000+ AI interviews with an average candidate rating of 4.7/5

🏆 Competition

Ourteam’s peers include Alex.com, Juicebox.ai, JackandJill.ai, and Mercor.com, mainly focused on Western markets. Ourteam is purpose-built for Asia. It offers multilingual Asian language support, secure proctoring, and branded application flows. These features are tailored to local hiring practices and cultural nuances.

💰 Financials

Ourteam uses a monthly subscription plus a success-based model. Pricing adjusts by hiring volume, roles, and features. Companies pay recurring fees for the AI screening platform. Ourteam also earns performance-based fees for successful hires. The company has raised funding from First Move and Silicon Valley-based angel investors.

This piece was written with AI. A human editor reviews it before publishing. All information is provided by the startup.