Even after reviewing resumes, cowl letters, and interviews, selecting the best candidate for a job generally is a mysterious course of. Hiring managers usually depend on their biases in regards to the world or intestine emotions to tell their choice, making the method removed from an actual science.
That’s why Sarah Lucena constructed Mappa, an AI-powered behavioral intelligence platform that goals to take a number of the guesswork out of hiring. Mappa educated an AI mannequin to detect voice patterns that correlate with sure traits, similar to communication fashion, empathy, and confidence. Candidates merely reply some questions from Mappa’s AI agent, after which the platform sends hiring managers a shortlist of candidates with traits which are appropriate with the position.
Mappa is a Startup Battlefield Prime 20 finalist at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco.
“Mappa involves the market with the objective of actually, really understanding folks,” Lucena stated in an interview with TechCrunch. “We don’t actually categorize traits nearly as good or dangerous. We perceive traits as appropriate or not.”
Lucena based Mappa in 2023 along with her two co-founders, Pablo Bergolo and Daniel Moretti, and has raised $3.4 million in a seed spherical led by Tim Draper’s funding agency, Draper Associates. In lower than three years, the startup has scaled to greater than 130 clients within the U.S. and greater than $4 million in annualized recurring income.
Mappa claims one in all its largest benefits is information. The startup constructed extremely curated datasets particularly for understanding human conduct. Mappa initially tried to evaluate candidates based mostly on video submissions and their on-line presence, nevertheless, they’ve discovered voice evaluation to be the simplest technique.
Mappa’s platform has already helped firms discover staff that stick round for longer, in keeping with Lucena. Whereas the usual annual turnover price for firms is round 30%, she says staff employed by means of Mappa have a turnover price of simply 2%.
Techcrunch occasion
San Francisco
|
October 27-29, 2025
Lucena says Mappa’s focus is all the time serving to firms discover the most effective folks, however that usually ends in a extra equitable hiring course of. Mappa has facilitated over 3,000 hires thus far, and greater than 60% of them had been girls, LGBTQ+, or immigrants. Lucena, who was born and raised in Brazil, says she’s proud to have created extra alternatives for these folks.
Transferring ahead, Lucena says she sees Mappa evolving from a providers firm into an infrastructure supplier. The startup’s API has seen traction amongst firms who wish to use its behavioral evaluation in conditions past hiring. Tim Draper personally makes use of Mappa to evaluate founders his agency is contemplating investing in, and the tutorial platform Re-Skilling.ai makes use of the platform to grasp abilities that college students can enhance on.
Sooner or later, Lucena sees that Mappa could possibly be used to assist approve candidates for loans who don’t have an intensive credit score historical past. She sees Mappa as a software to assist assess folks extra pretty in all types of settings.
If you wish to hear from Mappa firsthand, and see dozens of extra pitches, attend priceless workshops, and make the connections that drive enterprise outcomes, head right here to be taught extra about this yr’s Disrupt, held October 27 to 29 in San Francisco.
{content material}
Supply: {feed_title}