Oxford Alumni Duo’s AI Startup Secures $1.8M To Combat Hiring Biases

MeVitae, a UK-based Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) startup, has successfully secured a $1.8 million (€1.7 million) seed round spearheaded by Apex Black. 

MeVitae

Founded by Oxford University alumni, Neuroscientist Riham Satti and Computer Scientist Vivek Doraiswamy, MeVitae specializes in offering a comprehensive DEI ecosystem of HR tools.

These tools, developed from a blend of AI ethics and neuroscience perspectives, are designed to detect and mitigate biases, to enhance smarter, faster, and fairer hiring decisions.

“Growing up, I never considered that my gender or skin color might impede opportunities. It was during my university years that this harsh reality became evident,” said Satti.

“Delving into human decision-making, the rigid nature of biases was starkly apparent. Vivek and I, with our backgrounds in AI ethics and neuroscience, realized the need to address these biases head-on.”

MeVitae’s solutions have been impactful through collaborations with organizations like High Speed 2 (HS2), Transport for London (TfL) and The Good Food Institute, where a significant 30% increase in gender and ethnic diversity was observed.

The company has also demonstrated a 350% growth over the past year, establishing partnerships with tech giants such as Oracle and Microsoft.

The New Investment

The new investment marks a step in advancing MeVitae’s mission to reshape hiring processes through innovative AI-powered HR technology.

It is also set to accelerate product development and expand MeVitae’s reach, particularly in the US, where a significant portion of its client base resides. 

Geoff Lloyd, a HR professional with experience at FTSE companies, has joined MeVitae’s leadership team.

“I am delighted to join the Board of MeVitae as for too long organizations have struggled with delivering the big advances in diversity and inclusion that have been striven for,” said Lloyd.

“MeVitae has created a truly innovative technology platform that significantly improves both the breadth and depth of the talent pool that organizations can access through removing bias and improving time to hire, all underpinned by class-leading analytics.”