MIT Grad Raises $2M For Video-First Professional Profiles Platform

Talvy, a video-first professional profile platform, has raised $2 million in seed funding to reimagine how job seekers present themselves to employers.

The seed funding round was led by Link Ventures. This new capital will enable the startup to scale product development, build video-first infrastructure, expand its team, and boost partnerships.

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Meet Talvy, the Platform Enabling Job-Seekers to be People, not PDFs

Founded in 2025 by MIT grad, Talvy is led by CEO Kelton (KJ) Hardrict Jr, an engineer, investor, and content creator with over 115K YouTube subscribers. The video-first networking platform allows professionals to showcase their personality, skills, and experience beyond traditional resumes. By adding authentic video responses, Talvy helps employers connect with candidates on a deeper level, making better hiring decisions. 

The Cambridge, Massachusetts–based networking company was developed in response to an increasingly flooded hiring environment. AI-generated resumes have made it more difficult for recruiters to identify standout candidates. The platform aims to restore a human layer to hiring, prioritizing authentic communication and personal presence.

Replacing traditional resumes with short-form video profiles allows job seekers to showcase their personality, communication style, and professional story. By capturing elements such as energy, mindset, and interpersonal presence, Talvy intends to provide hiring teams with insights that static resumes cannot convey.

“In a hiring market flooded with AI-generated applications, humanity matters more than ever,” Hardrict told Afrotech. “Talvy lets recruiters experience candidates in seconds, the way people naturally evaluate each other in real conversation. It brings back the instinctive read you usually only get in an interview — but much earlier in the process, and at scale.”

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Using the software, employers can search candidate profiles using natural language tools that show shortlists of video submissions. This ensures candidates are evaluated earlier in the hiring process and gauge cultural fit before scheduling interviews. Recruiters can also invite candidates from their own applicant pools to create Talvy profiles and review them.

Talvy Spotlight and Next Steps

Alongside the funding announcement, the startup introduced Talvy Spotlight, a curated program that highlights candidates personally vetted and endorsed by Talvy’s team. Participants in the program are introduced directly to recruiters within the company’s network and may be featured publicly, including on a Times Square billboard. “We realized that identifying exceptional people wasn’t enough. We also wanted to actively champion them,” Hardict stated.

Hardrict brings a wealth of experience from founding and senior engineering roles at startups, as well as from serving as a Principal Investor at Link Ventures. The team also includes co-founder CTO Yoeal Efrem (ex-Palantir), Product & GTM Lead Lisa Vo (5x founder), ML Engineer Yaateh Richardson (ex-Meta), and Chief of Staff Sebastian Esquivel (ex-Unilever). 

“We invested in Talvy because the hiring system is blind to real potential,” says Frazer Anderson, Managing Director at Link Ventures. “The best leaders, builders, and operators don’t always shine in a LinkedIn world. Talvy’s video profiles give applicants a voice beyond their resume.”

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Looking ahead, Talvy’s new capital infusion will position the company to scale product development, build the infrastructure for a video-first professional profile, expand its team, and strengthen its partnership pipeline.