The hiring process has long relied on résumés, job descriptions, and keyword scans. But a UAE-based startup, Professional.me, is challenging that model with AI-driven recruitment designed to be smarter, more inclusive, and more human.
The company has just announced a $3.1 million seed funding round, led by Raha Beach Ventures, to accelerate its vision of transforming global hiring.
Replacing Resumés with Micro-LLMs
Founded in 2024 by Ryan Adams, Mgean Adam, and Matt Schmid, Professional.me is not just digitizing résumés, it’s eliminating them. Instead, it uses tailored micro-LLMs (domain-specific large language models) trained individually for both employers and candidates.
These context-aware models go beyond job titles and keywords to understand what truly drives success in a role. The goal is to match people and organizations based on deeper factors, skills, context, and culture, rather than superficial checklist hiring.
As CEO Ryan Adams explained:
“We’re not digitizing résumés , we’re replacing them entirely. Every company and candidate gets a context-aware micro-LLM that understands what truly drives success, beyond titles and keywords.”
Why It Matters
Recruitment today faces a critical gap. Traditional methods often lead to surface-level matches, leaving companies frustrated and candidates overlooked. Professional.me tackles this by building predictive success profiles, offering richer insights into who is most likely to thrive in a role.
The platform also emphasizes inclusion, helping organizations reach beyond biases tied to résumés, job titles, or career paths. By focusing on context, it creates space for non-traditional talent to be discovered and valued.
- ✅ Deeper matches – Beyond keywords to real performance indicators
- ✅ Inclusive hiring – Opening doors for overlooked talent pools
- ✅ Humanized AI – Context-driven models that understand nuance
- ✅ Efficiency at scale – Faster, smarter recruitment decisions
The Road Ahead
With its fresh capital, Professional.me plans to:
- ✅ Expand its engineering team – To strengthen product innovation and AI model development
- ✅ Grow research partnerships – Ensuring robust data and ethical AI practices
- ✅ Scale globally – With a focus on Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
This expansion comes as global demand for AI-powered recruitment tools continues to grow. Companies worldwide are under pressure to find better ways to evaluate talent, improve retention, and foster diversity.
A Rethink of Hiring
For Professional.me, this is more than a product launch, it’s a complete rethinking of hiring systems.
As Adams put it:
“We’re rethinking hiring from the ground up , not by adding filters, but by restructuring how information is captured and understood. AI should make hiring smarter, more inclusive, and more human.”
With strong investor backing and a clear mission, Professional.me is positioning itself as a pioneer in the next era of global talent acquisition.