Seed4Soft invests in Codingame
The startup CodinGame raises 450,000 € from software heavyweights
Founded 10 months ago, CodinGame, the Montpellier startup specialising in innovative solutions for assessing the skills of and recruiting software developers, has just completed a first funding round of 450,000 € from Seed4Soft, the fund Nestadio Capital and several entrepreneurs from the software world.
Co-founded by Frédéric Desmoulins (President), Nicolas Antoniazzi (CTO) and Aude Barral (Marketing), the young company intends to shake up the conventions of IT recruitment with two solutions: Weecod, a simulation-based skills assessment platform that lets companies recruiting in IT identify and hire talented profiles; and the CodinGames, online programming challenges whose latest edition was a clear success, drawing nearly 1,300 entrants.
"CodinGame's market is considerable, and the market for talent in this field is international," says François Bourdoncle, co-founder of Exalead and member of Seed4Soft. "Their original community-driven approach, backed by first-rate technology, answers a significant need among companies that is very poorly served today by traditional recruitment firms, as every client and prospect we spoke to confirmed. And the team's enthusiasm and capacity to grow bode well for the future!"
Today, the supply of IT jobs no longer meets demand: 4 companies out of 5 struggle to recruit developers. Against that backdrop, CodinGame's solutions bring a breath of fresh air to classic recruitment processes. "To answer the sourcing problem, we run the CodinGames, online programming challenges. These playful events let programmers who love their craft get noticed and hired by attractive companies purely on the basis of their skills, without the usual filters of qualifications or experience. It is a reverse recruitment method, where the company comes to meet the candidate, without preconceptions," explains Aude Barral. It is a strategy that also brings unconventional profiles to light and so rebalances a market widely seen as short of people. The concept appeals and the community is exploding: in under 5 months, CodinGame has brought together more than 2,500 enthusiasts taking part in its contests.
On the skills assessment and talent management side, CodinGame also offers Weecod, a B2B platform of technical programming tests. The aim: to place candidates in an environment close to the one they will meet in the company, so as to measure know-how in context.
With a portfolio of some fifty strong references in France and abroad, among them Gemalto, Cegedim, Oodrive, TalentSoft, Work4Labs and Winamax, CodinGame is now preparing to accelerate its international roll-out sharply thanks to the funds raised.
"We are happy and proud that Seed4Soft and Nestadio Capital are joining the CodinGame adventure," concludes Frédéric Desmoulins. "The backing of this team of seasoned entrepreneurs, all from the software world, will give us feedback without equal and the quality of a network that exceeds our hopes."
Press contacts
Franck Delorme – Seed4Soft – franck.delorme@seed4soft.com – Tel: 06 03 54 83 92