As someone who has spent over two decades building companies across Europe and mastering disciplines ranging from education to AI, I’ve seen firsthand how challenging it can be to turn a groundbreaking idea into a viable business. Yet, when I analyzed the recent developments surrounding Global Work AI, a Polish HRTech startup that secured €2 million in funding to scale its operations, I saw key lessons not only for founders in tech but for entrepreneurs across industries. This isn’t just about funding success, this is about how startups can pivot toward creating cornerstone solutions in competitive niches.
Let’s break it down.
The Opportunity: How Global Work AI Is Tapping into an Untapped Job Market
Global Work AI, founded in Warsaw in 2024, isn’t just another HRTech platform. Instead, it flips the conventional recruiter-focused model upside down by prioritizing job seekers. Their AI-powered platform aggregates over 1 million verified remote job opportunities monthly while introducing advanced tools like AI-generated CVs, cover letters, real-time personalized job recommendations, and Auto-Apply functionality.
The startup’s new investment will enable the launch of its AI Career Assistant, aptly named Mia AI, which acts as an end-to-end support system for individuals navigating today’s often brutal job market. What sets Global Work AI apart isn’t just the tech, it’s the focus on the candidate journey.
As a serial entrepreneur, I can't stress this enough: building tools that serve an underrepresented pain point is one of the fastest ways to disrupt an industry. Global Work AI showcases how understanding user pain points at an intimate level leads to transformational solutions and solid growth (they scaled 13x in user base within just 10 months).
What Can Entrepreneurs Learn from Global Work AI’s Success?
1. Funding Strategy Matters
Global Work AI’s recent €2 million injection is part of a broader funding journey that began with a €103k angel round in February 2024, followed by a €1 million pre-seed round in December that same year. A structured fundraising strategy gave them an edge in scaling resources and fine-tuning their product before expanding further.
If you’re an entrepreneur:
- Start small: Angel rounds are ideal for proving your minimal viable product (MVP).
- Grow incrementally: Pre-seed and seed investors look for demonstrated traction, not just ideas.
- Demonstrate scalability: As you build traction (like Global Work AI’s 13x growth), backers simply won’t ignore the numbers.
2. Adapt AI to Enhance Specific Customer Journeys
Rather than employing AI as a broad solution for standard HR processes, Global Work AI has adapted it to specific use cases like tailoring CVs and automating applications. This level of personalization transforms how job seekers digitally interact with employers.
If you want your product to stand out:
- Use AI for niche problems rather than overloading the platform with generic features.
- Integrate feedback loops to optimize the end-user experience continuously. For instance, tools like Mia AI include real-time adaptability based on individual progress.
3. Prioritize the "Pain-to-Profit" Model
The job hunting experience is laborious, emotionally exhausting, and archaic. Global Work AI took a pain point every professional has felt at least once (inefficiency, unsuccessful applications, lack of personalised career advice), and turned it into profit.
As I teach through gamepreneurship, the three steps for entrepreneurs include:
- Identify pain points customers are desperate to solve.
- Develop practical, scalable solutions using technology.
- Test profitability through beta versions, pre-order campaigns, and iterative launches.
Examples abound outside of HRTech. See how European SaaS companies like Skillvue’s skills-first hiring tech or Talentiqa’s AI interview assistant are winning capital by solving pain points through cutting-edge AI.
Practical Guide: How Startups Can Emulate Global Work AI’s Strategy
- Start Narrow, Build Big
Global Work AI began with a focus specifically on remote job seekers. It wasn’t interested in creating a universal hiring platform, it built a functional, scalable MVP for this specific customer segment.
Focus on:
- Specific customer journeys or user stories.
- Achievable KPIs around growth and engagement.
- Leveraging one key technology before attempting large-scale product expansion.
- Leverage Existing AI Innovations
Rather than reinventing the wheel, startups can integrate popular AI frameworks such as GPT-based engines or natural language processing models into their product. Global Work AI's CV automation tool or Auto-Apply likely uses advanced AI APIs.
How founders can follow suit:
- Use tools like OpenAI APIs for fast prototyping.
- Add unique features that reflect deep customer awareness, like automated professional behavior analysis or emotional support in competitive marketplaces.
- Scale Through Relationship Richness, Not Just User Numbers
The company’s client-first orientation hits critical loyalty touchpoints, such as real-time alerts and auto-apply tools, features that bring daily utility to users’ professional lives. Entrepreneurs often forget that scaling isn’t just increasing daily active user counts, it’s deepening relationships with users.
Common Mistakes Founders Must Avoid
-
Overcomplicating the MVP
Many startups launch their platform with too many features upfront without validating customer pain points first. Keep it lean. Global Work AI started with search aggregation and only added CV optimization, auto-apply, and Mia AI after funding. -
Ignoring the Human Side of AI
Many HRTech tools suffer from the dreaded "robotic feel." Founders should ensure that AI enhances human journeys rather than replaces them entirely. Features like Mia AI provide emotional guidance, a brilliant example of creating warmth alongside automation. -
Being Too Generic
Trying to "serve everyone" dilutes your credibility. Focus on the ideal persona. Starting small doesn’t mean your vision is small, it just means you’re smart enough to prove demand before scaling.
Why Startups in HRTech Should Keep an Eye on Global Work AI
Innovation in sectors where human pain points are raw, like hiring, will always attract attention. For entrepreneurs, Global Work AI represents what’s possible when you combine cutting-edge AI with empathy for user frustrations.
If you’re building your own HRTech startup or using AI to tackle real-world challenges, study Global Work AI’s trajectory. From their structured funding path to user-first product design, they’re paving the way for a new generation of service-focused platforms.
Here’s what I believe is the most valuable takeaway: Technology isn’t the solution, it’s the facilitator. The real solution always starts with empathy.
As the startup ecosystem grows in Europe, companies like Global Work AI may well outpace traditional recruiting models. Entrepreneurs, it’s time to build tools that solve pains no one else is addressing. Just remember, funding follows solutions, not ideas.
FAQ
1. What is Global Work AI?
Global Work AI is a Warsaw-based HRTech startup that focuses on the candidate journey, providing AI tools for job seekers like CV generation, personalized job recommendations, and automated application processes. Learn more about Global Work AI
2. How much funding has Global Work AI raised to date?
Global Work AI has secured €3.1 million in total funding, including a recent €2 million follow-on round. Learn more about Global Work AI's funding timeline
3. What is Mia AI?
Mia AI is Global Work AI’s upcoming AI career assistant designed to help job seekers navigate their careers, providing features like mapping career paths, resolving workplace issues, and offering emotional support during searches. Discover Mia AI
4. How does Global Work AI support remote job seekers?
The platform aggregates over 1 million verified remote opportunities monthly, filtering out scams and providing tailored AI-generated tools like CVs and cover letters for remote workers. Explore Global Work AI's remote job features
5. What makes Global Work AI different from conventional HRTech platforms?
Unlike traditional recruiter-focused HRTech tools, Global Work AI prioritizes job seekers by offering AI-driven tools that ease the burden of job applications and optimize candidate journeys. Learn about the Global Work AI difference
6. Who are the founders of Global Work AI?
Global Work AI was founded by Alex Chepovoi and Alex Dyadischev in 2024. Meet the founders of Global Work AI
7. Why is Global Work AI scaling rapidly?
The platform scaled 13x in user base within 10 months by addressing key pain points for job seekers through personalized AI solutions and automation tools. Explore Global Work AI’s growth journey
8. What lessons can entrepreneurs learn from Global Work AI’s funding success?
Entrepreneurs can learn to build scalable products that demonstrate traction, prioritize structured funding strategies, and focus on solving niche pain points efficiently. Learn entrepreneurial lessons from Global Work AI
9. Which recent HRTech startups also achieved notable funding success?
Global Work AI joins other European HRTech startups like Talentiqa (€1M, first-interview AI assistant) and Skillvue (€5.5M, skills-based recruitment tech) in attracting significant capital. Discover Talentiqa | Explore Skillvue
10. What’s the future of candidate-first AI platforms like Global Work AI?
As HRTech evolves, platforms like Global Work AI, which integrate usability with empathy for user frustrations, are expected to set benchmarks for user-first design and disrupt conventional models. Learn more about candidate-first innovations
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.