Toronto-based startup Kira Talent has raised $1.2 million to expand its online talent assessment tool. This latest investment was “a planned second tranche” and made possible from a group of existing investors and a number of new contributors, including Business Development Bank of Canada. The company previously raised $2.2 million in 2013 from Relay Ventures, Globalive’s Tony Lacavera, Reza Satchu, Roger Martin, Gary Slaight and David Shaw.
Kira Talent launched in 2012 as an assessment tool that helped businesses hire the right people for the job. The company shifted in 2014 to become “a full-blown talent assessment platform” that also focussed on educational institutions. The company now has eight of the top 20 business schools as clients, including Yale University, Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern), Ivey Business School (Western University), and Notre Dame.
The $1.2 million investment will be used to fund the Kira Academic platform and expand its offering through timed video and written response questions. In addition, a portion of the funds will be used to grow its sales and marketing efforts.
Craig Morantz, CEO of Kira Talent, said, “This investment signals Kira Academic’s growth as a leading provider of admissions solutions for higher education. It will allow us to better serve our existing clients and give even more schools the ability to see prospective students as more than just grades and an application.”