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§ Private Profile · New York City, NY, USA
Inclusive executive hiring platform connecting underrepresented senior leaders with board and C-suite opportunities for companies.
Based in New York City, AboveBoard is an executive hiring platform that connects underrepresented professionals, specifically women, Black, and Latinx executives, with confidential board and C-suite opportunities. The company operates a B2B subscription model, allowing private equity firms, venture capital firms, and public corporations to post unlisted leadership roles and directly access a diverse talent pool. The platform has successfully scaled its network to include over 30,000 approved executive members and 1,300 participating companies, generating an estimated $3 million in annual revenue. AboveBoard has raised $6 million in total seed funding, reaching an estimated $9.6 million valuation, with financial backing from recognizable institutional investors including Audacious Ventures, Insight Partners, and True Capital Management. The organization was founded in 2020 by chief executive officer Lucinda Duncalfe in partnership with the global executive recruitment firm True Search.
AboveBoard has raised $9.0M across 2 funding rounds.
AboveBoard has raised $9.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
AboveBoard has raised $9.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
AboveBoard's investors include True, Black Angel Group, Broadway Angels, Merline Saintil, Operator Collective, The General Partnership, Amy Chang, Aston Motes, Joe Greenstein, Nick Caldwell, Bonita Stewart, Farah Ali.
AboveBoard has raised $9.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $6.0M Other Equity in May 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2022 | $6M Venture Round | True. | — | Announced |
| Jul 1, 2021 | $3M Seed | — | Black Angel Group, Broadway Angels, Merline Saintil, Operator Collective, The General Partnership, AMY Chang, Aston Motes, JOE Greenstein, Nick Caldwell, Bonita Stewart, Farah ALI, Jennifer Ceran, Jonathan Mildenhall, Angeles Investors, True Search | Announced |
AboveBoard is a New York-based hiring technology company that operates an inclusive executive search platform, focusing on diversifying leadership by connecting underrepresented executives—particularly women and executives of color—with board, full-time, and senior roles at public and private companies, including those backed by private equity and venture capital.[1][2][3][5] The platform solves the exclusionary nature of traditional executive hiring, which relies on retained search firms and personal networks that often overlook diverse talent, by providing transparent, free access for executives to over 500 opportunities across 10+ industries like finance, marketing, sales, product, and operations, while helping companies source from a vetted community of 4,000+ professionals.[2][4][5] With $6M-$9M in total funding (latest $6M seed in May 2022) and revenue estimated at $10M or under $5M, AboveBoard demonstrates solid growth momentum as a staffing and recruiting innovator with 11-50 employees.[2][3]
AboveBoard launched in October 2020 as a sister company to True Search, North America's 7th largest executive search firm by revenue and the fastest-growing at the time, co-founded by True's leadership including co-CEO Brad Stadler, who serves as AboveBoard's board director.[1][5] True Search, known for innovations like spinning out real-time search software into SaaS firm Thrive TRM and founding leadership assessment firm Synthesis, created AboveBoard to address the executive search industry's failure to deliver diverse talent pools, aiming for more accessible, efficient, and equitable hiring.[1] CEO Lucinda Duncalfe, a seasoned entrepreneur, leads the effort, building on her experience disrupting hiring pipelines; early traction included partnerships like with Athena Alliance in 2021 for women executives and funding rounds totaling $6M-$9M, with a $3M close noted in reports.[1][3]
AboveBoard rides the wave of DEI-driven HR tech transformation, addressing systemic leadership disparities amid post-2020 pressures for diverse C-suites and boards, where traditional models perpetuate underrepresentation.[1][5] Timing aligns with rising demand for inclusive hiring post-social justice movements, enabling companies to tap overlooked networks for better outcomes amid talent shortages in tech, finance, and operations.[1][2][4] Market forces like remote/hybrid work, PE/VC portfolio scaling, and regulatory scrutiny on board diversity favor its model, influencing the ecosystem by partnering with platforms like Athena Alliance and integrating with search firms to normalize transparent, merit-based access for 4,000+ executives.[3][4][5]
AboveBoard is poised to scale as DEI mandates evolve into sustained equity practices, potentially expanding its 500+ role listings and 4,000-member base through deeper VC/PE integrations and global reach amid hybrid leadership trends.[2][4][5] AI-enhanced matching and broader industry penetration could boost revenue beyond $10M, though user feedback highlights responsiveness challenges that tech upgrades might resolve.[2][4] Its influence may grow by setting standards for open executive markets, ultimately reshaping hidden hiring into an inclusive norm—echoing its launch promise to drive change from the top.[1]