Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi invests in Indian recruitment tech startup WorkIndia

After investing in digital lending, vernacular social platforms, and mobility startups in India, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has now taken interest in the recruitment tech space.

It has put in US$5.9 million in Mumbai-based online recruitment platform WorkIndia, the company said on Monday. WorkIndia is backed by Japan’s Beenext and Asuka Investments.

Photo credit: Pxhere

The four-year-old startup, founded by Kunal Patil and Nilesh Dungarwal in 2015, aims to connect blue-collar workers and employers so that companies can find the right profile based on candidates’ skill sets through its AI-enabled platform. The company claims to have 15 million job seekers across more than 750 Indian cities.

“The company has created a massive presence in the Indian blue-collar segment within a short span of time. At Xiaomi, we thrive towards providing innovation for everyone, and we see significant future potential in WorkIndia,” said Manu Jain, the global vice president of Xiaomi and managing director of Xiaomi India, in a statement.

WorkIndia’s mobile app, which helps candidates find jobs based on their skill set and preferred location, works in areas with poor connectivity.

According to Jain, the firm has leveraged the high smartphone penetration in India and provided an opportunity for people from all segments, “working as an equalizer.”

“Team WorkIndia thrives on two aspects – one, extreme innovation and two, the excitement of becoming a global leader in the blue-collar segment. Xiaomi’s focus on innovation and the disruption they have brought to the market has clear adjacencies with us,” said co-founders Patil and Dungarwal.

With the new funding, the startup said it plans to strengthen its team as well as its tech backend for improved matchmaking, predictive, and real-time analytics for employers.

Xiaomi has come a long way in India, from an unknown smartphone brand that nobody bet on in 2014 to becoming the market leader in the world’s second-largest smartphone market. After disrupting the smartphone industry in the country, it has set its eyes on tech companies who are daring to innovate in their respective markets.

Xiaomi made its first investment in India in 2016 by leading a US$25 million round in online digital media entertainment firm Hungama.

In November 2017, the company’s co-founder and chief executive, Lei Jun, in an interview said that the company would be investing as much as US$1 billion in 100 startups in India over the next five years to create an ecosystem of apps around its smartphone brand. This came a month after Xiaomi led an US$8 million round in micro-lending startup KrazyBee, along with Shunwei Capital, a VC firm set up by Xiaomi’s founders Jun and Tuck Lye Koh.

True to its word, Xiaomi led an US$18.2 million round in Bengaluru-based Indian regional language social platform Sharechat in January 2018. That same year, it invested in another vernacular social app Samosa Labs and digital lending startup ZestMoney. According to media reports, Xiaomi has also invested in TouchTalent, an online community for creative individuals, daily commute startup Chalo, and Delhi-based Oye Rickshaw.

Meanwhile, working in sync with Xiaomi, Shunwei has invested in startups like ShareChat, social commerce platform Meesho, fintech company Upwards, digital lending firm LoanTap, online food delivery platform Zomato, mobile bike and taxi service Rapido, and regional language podcast app Kuku FM, among others.