Glasgow-based video interview platform has US expansion in frame after seven-figure investment

The new US hires are part of a global recruitment drive that will more than double Willo’s total headcount, and it plans to make 25 hires to drive further growth in the US, UK, and Asian markets. Willo currently operates in more than 180 countries, while its total turnover is set to pass £1m for the first time in January, and “remains on target” to exceed £40m by end-2025. That ambition will include reaching more than a million video interview completions a month – a key metric for the firm, which also counts Very.co.uk, Boohoo, and airport facilities-management firm ABM amongst its clients – and in excess of 80,000 paying users, up from about 10,000 currently.

Willo says its success in the US is a result of the rapid growth of “asynchronous working” – when teams work without communicating simultaneously allowing companies to effectively operate across multiple time zones, estimated to be able to save firms thousands of pounds per employee each year.

Euan Cameron, Willo’s CEO who co-founded the business with Andrew Wood in 2018 before it launched in January 2020, said: “This latest investment will enable us to meet the booming demand for async hiring tools among businesses and organisations of all sizes. Whilst the US is our biggest market at present, the rest of the world is catching up.

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"We secured our first round of investment during the Covid-19 pandemic as remote working took off, and the support and commitment shown from our latest round of investors – especially Mark, Alan, and Julien – shows the world of work has changed for good and for the better. What’s more, it also demonstrates the potential for Willo to become the market leader in asynchronous video interview software.”

Richard Avery-Wright, founding partner of 1818 Venture Capital, said: “For obvious reasons, the adoption of both asynchronous and distributed working and hiring practices has accelerated over the last few years. Willo is a best-in-class platform purpose built to support these new modes of hiring.

He added that the firm saves more than 4,000 hours a year for 100-plus clients. “We have known the team at Willo for many years, both as an investor and as a client, and are delighted to be strengthening our partnership with them as they accelerate the pace of their global expansion.” Willo said that earlier this year, Jordan Walker, co-founder of async meeting platform Yac.com, described the Scottish firm’s offering as the best tool available in the US for async hiring.