The deal will strengthen the AI capabilities of The Access Group’s existing people management portfolio.
Talent Funnel was built specifically for the UK hospitality sector and serves more than 100 customers, including The Ivy Collection, GAIL’s Bakery, Itsu, Compass Group and Nightcap.
The platform is used across more than 2,193 hospitality sites and supports around three million job applications and the recruitment of 75,000 employees each year.
Founded in 2016, Talent Funnel helps hospitality operators attract, hire and onboard staff more efficiently through branded careers sites, candidate management tools and automated onboarding workflows.
Its AI-powered features are designed specifically for hospitality recruitment, helping operators manage high-volume hiring, candidate screening, shift flexibility requirements and compliance processes.
Since 2022, Talent Funnel has grown its customer base by 435%, reflecting what it says is rising demand for specialist recruitment technology in the hospitality sector.
Following completion of the deal, Talent Funnel will join Access Hospitality and become part of Access Evo, The Access Group’s AI-enabled platform. Access Evo is designed to enable organisations to work seamlessly across products, workflows and data.
Martin Verdon-Roe, chief commercial officer of Access Hospitality F&B, says Talent Funnel is a natural fit because it has been built specifically for the way hospitality businesses recruit.
“The team has created a solution that meets the demands of high-volume, multi-site hiring while delivering a great experience for both employers and candidates,” he says.
“The growth the business has achieved in recent years demonstrates both the quality of the team and the demand for technology that addresses hospitality’s unique recruitment challenges. We share a common vision for using technology and AI to solve real operational challenges.”
Chris Eccles and Andre Boeke, co-chief executives of Talent Funnel, add: “Joining Access gives Talent Funnel the resources to develop our product further and faster than we could as a standalone business.”
The acquisition is expected to complete next month.