# Firstwork Raises $15M Series A to Automate Frontline Onboarding **Author:** Zero G Talent **Published:** 2026-10-24 **Category:** business-finance **Tags:** yc-hiring [Read on Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com/blog/firstwork-raises-15m-series-a-to-automate-frontline-onboarding) --- [Firstwork](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-companies/firstwork) has raised $15 million in a Series A funding round led by Earlybird Venture Capital, bringing its total funding to $20 million. The round included participation from Legion VC, Deel Ventures, and existing investors Gradient Ventures and Y Combinator, as reported by [Indian Startup News](https://indianstartupnews.com/funding/y-combinator-backed-firstwork-raises-15-million-series-a-takes-total-funding-to-20-million-12742491). Founded in 2024 and backed by Y Combinator's Summer 2024 batch, the startup is expanding beyond its seed stage to deploy autonomous AI agents that handle operational HR workflows for frontline workforces. Firstwork operates with an engineering and operations presence where roughly 80 percent of its 45-person team is based in Bengaluru, alongside corporate footprints in the United States and plans for a London office to anchor European operations. ## Automating the Gap Between Offer and First Shift Firstwork pitches its platform as infrastructure for frontline and seasonal labor. The core product addresses candidate attrition in high-churn industries such as logistics, healthcare, retail, and delivery. In these sectors, the period between an applicant accepting an offer and arriving for their first shift often stalls over document collection, background checks, right-to-work verifications, and compliance sign-offs. Rather than replacing core human resource information systems or applicant tracking tools, Firstwork’s AI agents sit on top of existing enterprise software. The agents interact directly with candidates via text message and phone calls to collect records, coordinate training sessions, run background verifications, and monitor credentialing. According to coverage from [CustomerThink](https://customerthink.com/firstwork-raises-15m-series-a-to-scale-applied-ai-for-frontline-workforce-operations/), more than 150,000 frontline workers now start jobs through the platform each month. Enterprise customers include Job&Talent, Relay, Wonolo, BGSF, and global payroll platform Deel, which also backed the Series A through Deel Ventures. Firstwork reports that these deployments reduce the administrative time HR teams spend on each onboarding by up to 90 percent. “The systems employers rely on were built to record what happened, not to actually do the work,” co-founder and CEO [Vardhan Kapoor](https://zerogtalent.com/people/vardhan-kapoor) stated in [Retail Technology Innovation Hub](https://retailtechinnovationhub.com/home/2026/10/22/firstwork-secures-15-million-series-a-as-startup-looks-to-scale-applied-ai-for-frontline-workforce-ops). Tim Rehder, General Partner at Earlybird Venture Capital, noted that the startup "competes for the far larger budget employers spend on the people and outsourced teams who do onboarding and compliance by hand, winning 7-figure deals already." ## Built by Veterans of Frontline Operations and Global Payroll The company was founded by operators with backgrounds spanning gig-economy operations and compliance infrastructure. CEO [Vardhan Kapoor](https://zerogtalent.com/people/vardhan-kapoor) previously served as Head of Region, APAC at Remitly, where he managed regional market expansion. Prior to Remitly, Kapoor served as Strategy Head at Deliveroo in Singapore, where his responsibilities included overseeing high-volume onboarding and operational pipelines for delivery riders. CTO [Shubham Choudhary](https://zerogtalent.com/people/shubham-choudhary) brings direct technical experience from leading workforce management platforms. Choudhary previously served as Director of Engineering at Deel, where he oversaw engineering for PEO, immigration and mobility, and time-tracking products. Before Deel, he was a Senior Engineering Manager at Rippling, where he built core infrastructure for the company’s Employer of Record (EOR) platform across more than 50 countries. Choudhary holds a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar. ## Expanding Into Ongoing Workforce Compliance With fresh capital secured, Firstwork is broadening its platform scope. The company plans to move beyond the initial pre-shift onboarding window into lifecycle operations, including recurring compliance checks, credential renewals, continuing training, and post-shift feedback designed to detect early turnover signals. To support this product roadmap, Firstwork is recruiting heavily across product and engineering. The engineering organization is hiring for a [Staff Software Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/staff-software-engineer-108078), a [Senior Software Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/senior-software-engineer-109179), and a [Software Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/software-engineer-108077). On the product side, the company is adding a [Senior Product Manager](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/senior-product-manager-108079) and a [Product Manager](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/product-manager-108080) to guide workflow automation across international regulatory environments. At the same time, commercial expansion across the Atlantic is driving go-to-market hiring. The company is establishing its presence in the UK and Europe with roles such as [EMEA Sales Lead](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/emea-sales-lead-108081), [Strategy & Operations Lead, EMEA](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/strategy-operations-lead-emea-108082), and [Solutions Consultant, EMEA](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/solutions-consultant-emea-108084). ## Open Roles at Firstwork All 14 open positions currently listed by Firstwork are remote roles based in the United States, spanning engineering, commercial sales, product management, operations, and research. | Role | Location | Work Mode | Salary | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | [Staff Software Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/staff-software-engineer-108078) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | | [Senior Software Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/senior-software-engineer-109179) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | | [Software Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/software-engineer-108077) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | | [Senior Product Manager](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/senior-product-manager-108079) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | | [Product Manager](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/product-manager-108080) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | | [Enterprise Account Executive (US)](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/enterprise-account-executive-us-118222) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | | [Enterprise Account Executive (UK & Europe)](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/enterprise-account-executive-uk-europe-118224) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | | [Account Executive, Staffing (US)](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/account-executive-staffing-us-117966) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | | [Account Executive, Staffing (UK & Europe)](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/account-executive-staffing-uk-europe-118223) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | | [EMEA Sales Lead](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/emea-sales-lead-108081) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | | [Strategy & Operations Lead, EMEA](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/strategy-operations-lead-emea-108082) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | | [Solutions Consultant, EMEA](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/solutions-consultant-emea-108084) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | | [Head of Research & Editorial](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/head-of-research-editorial-108086) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | | [Head of Research & Editorial](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/firstwork/head-of-research-editorial-108085) | Remote (US) | Remote | Not listed | [See all open roles at Firstwork](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-companies/firstwork) --- *Source: [Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com), the job board for space, defense, AI, robotics and frontier-tech companies.*