LookSharp is a technology company.
LookSharp has raised $5.0M across 2 funding rounds.
LookSharp has raised $5.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
LookSharp has raised $5.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
LookSharp's investors include 15th Rock Ventures, DST Global, Floodgate, Founders Fund, GSV Acceleration, Kapor Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Locus Ventures, NextView Ventures, Practical Venture Capital, Sequoia Capital, Seven Seven Six.
LookSharp was a technology startup that built a job and internship listing platform targeted at college students and recent graduates. It served students seeking entry-level opportunities and employers looking to hire young talent, solving the problem of connecting campuses directly with companies through searchable job listings and SEO-optimized discovery, bypassing traditional university career services.[3][4][5] The platform operated InternMatch and acquired Readyforce to expand its professional networking features, raising over $10 million from investors like 500 Startups and Kapor Capital before being acquired by rival WayUp in 2017 to accelerate growth via complementary user bases and SEO strengths.[3][4][5]
LookSharp emerged in the early 2010s amid the rise of student-focused job platforms. Led by CEO Andrew Maguire, the company launched as a direct-to-consumer job listings site for internships and entry-level roles, emphasizing SEO to capture searches from students and grads.[4][5] A pivotal moment came in 2014 when LookSharp acquired Readyforce, a professional network for college students, integrating it to bolster its offerings and user engagement.[5] By 2017, with over $10 million in funding, it combined with WayUp, bringing key team members like Maguire aboard to merge platforms and scale to over 50 employees.[3][4]
LookSharp rode the gig economy and student employment trend of the mid-2010s, when mobile-first job platforms disrupted traditional recruiting amid rising youth unemployment post-recession. Timing aligned with SEO maturation and campus hiring shifts, favoring agile startups over legacy systems like LinkedIn for entry-level roles.[4] Market forces like investor interest in HR tech (evidenced by $10M+ funding) propelled it, influencing the ecosystem by proving consolidations like the WayUp merger could consolidate market share and innovate direct matching.[3][4] Its acquisition accelerated platform unification, shaping efficient, student-centric job tech.
Post-2017 acquisition, LookSharp's platform fully integrated into WayUp (now part of broader job tech evolutions), with its SEO and user acquisition strengths likely enduring in modern talent platforms. Next steps involve AI-enhanced matching amid remote work and skills-based hiring trends, potentially evolving influence through scaled data on Gen Z talent pipelines. This ties back to its core as a nimble connector in student job tech, now amplified in a maturing ecosystem.
LookSharp has raised $5.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $4.0M Series A in June 2013.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2013 | $4.0M Series A | 15th Rock Ventures, DST Global, Floodgate, Founders Fund, GSV Acceleration, Kapor Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Locus Ventures, NextView Ventures, Practical Venture Capital, Sequoia Capital, Seven Seven Six, Sound Ventures, Streamlined Ventures, Theory Forge Ventures, True Ventures, Ulu Ventures, Uncork Capital, XFactor Ventures, Y Combinator, David Chen, Sam Altman | |
| Jan 1, 2013 | $1.0M Venture Round | 15th Rock Ventures, Acequia Capital, CITG Capital, DST Global, Floodgate, Founders Fund, GSV Acceleration, Jude Gomila Rolling Fund, Kapor Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Locus Ventures, NextView Ventures, Practical Venture Capital, Sequoia Capital, Seven Seven Six, Sound Ventures, Streamlined Ventures, Theory Forge Ventures, True Ventures, Ulu Ventures, Uncork Capital, Y Combinator, Aayush Phumbhra, Adrian Aoun, David Chen, David Wallerstein, Joshua Schachter, Ken Keller, Sachin Agarwal, Sam Altman |