LinkCup

LinkUp delivers highly accurate and real-time job market data, sourcing millions of job openings directly from employer websites globally every day. The company provides a comprehensive suite of data products and solutions, including LinkUp Compass for intuitive data visualization and granular Skills and Salary Datasets. Its proprietary methodology ensures timely, clean data free of duplicates or expired listings, offering an unparalleled view into labor market dynamics and economic trends.

The company began as JobDig, Inc. in 2001, initially operating in the recruitment advertising sector. Recognizing the evolving landscape of work and the growing demand for specialized insights, the business model transformed in 2007 to focus on providing deep job data to niche markets. Toby Dayton serves as the Chief Executive Officer, steering LinkUp's sustained commitment to data excellence over two decades.

LinkUp’s data serves a diverse clientele, including capital markets for investment strategies, enterprises for competitive intelligence, human capital management professionals for workforce planning, academic researchers, and public sector organizations for policy development. The company’s vision centers on offering clarity and confidence in understanding the intricate relationship between work and global economic forces, empowering decision-makers with predictive insights.

High-Level Overview

Linkup (linkup.so) is a French startup founded in 2024 that builds an internet search and access engine tailored for artificial intelligence applications. It provides a proprietary API enabling AI companies to access online content efficiently, ethically, and fairly through partnerships with premium content sources, addressing the challenges of AI's impact on traditional web business models.[1][4] Serving AI developers and companies of all sizes, Linkup solves the problem of sustainable, high-quality web data access for AI agents by offering fast retrieval from curated publishers, with early momentum from a €3 million seed round led by Seedcamp and Axeleo Capital in late 2024, plus selection for Microsoft GenAI Studio.[1][4]

The company has secured partnerships in Asia and the US, plans US expansion, and focuses growth on proprietary models, infrastructure scaling, publisher ties, and hiring in ML and engineering.[1]

Origin Story

Linkup was founded in 2024 by Philippe Mizrahi (CEO, ex-Lyft Group Product Manager with a background in autonomous vehicles, Polytechnique and Columbia grad), Denis Charrier (CTO, founder of Niland acquired by Spotify in 2017, 15+ years in software architecture), and Boris Toledano (COO, ex-McKinsey and Carrefour AI lead, HEC Paris and ISAE-SUPAERO alum).[1][4] The idea emerged amid AI's transformation of the internet, prioritizing ethical web access for AI agents; early traction included Microsoft GenAI Studio selection in October 2024 with support from Microsoft, Nvidia, GitHub, Mistral AI, and Cellenza, alongside the €3M raise joined by Axeleo Capital, Motier Ventures, Kima Ventures, and 100+ angels from tech and media.[1][4]

Core Differentiators

• Ethical and Efficient AI Web Access: Proprietary API delivers fast, curated content from premium partnerships, ensuring sustainable access without scraping, unlike general LLMs that lack precision for specialized needs.[1][4]
• Specialized for AI Agents: Focuses on "Internet of AIs" with high-quality, industry-specific data, enabling scalable deployment for AI firms while prioritizing fairness to content creators.[1]
• Strong Founding Expertise: Combines product (Lyft), engineering (Spotify acquisition), and strategy (McKinsey/Carrefour) for robust development of proprietary models.[4]
• Early Ecosystem Integration: Backed by top AI programs and VCs, with plans for ML/software hires and global scaling, setting it apart in a crowded AI data space.[1]

(Note: Distinct from unrelated entities like job data provider LinkUp.com (est. 2001, acquired 2024 by GlobalData)[6] or investor-focused Linkup (2022 pre-seed)[2].)

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Linkup rides the explosive growth of AI agents and the "Internet of AIs," where demand for real-time, ethical web data surges as LLMs evolve toward specialized models needing precise, non-hallucinated inputs.[1][4] Timing is ideal post-2024 AI hype, with web publishers seeking fair compensation amid scraping concerns, positioning Linkup to bridge AI firms and content ecosystems via partnerships. Market forces like regulatory pushes for data ethics (e.g., EU AI Act influences) and infrastructure scaling (Nvidia/Microsoft ties) favor it, while its model influences the ecosystem by promoting sustainable alternatives to open-web crawling, potentially standardizing paid AI data access.[1]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Linkup is primed to capture share in AI data infrastructure as agentic AI proliferates, with €3M fueling US rollout, model enhancements, and team growth amid rising demand for ethical web gateways.[1] Trends like vertical AI models and publisher-AI pacts will shape its path, evolving its influence from niche API provider to key enabler in a multi-trillion AI economy—watch for major publisher deals and Series A by 2026. This positions Linkup as a foundational player redefining web-AI symbiosis, echoing its mission to build fair pathways from day one.[1][4]