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Bullhorn has raised $26.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at Bullhorn.
Bullhorn has raised $26.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Bullhorn is a Boston, Massachusetts-based technology company that provides cloud-based applicant tracking and customer relationship management software for the staffing and recruitment industry. Originally launched as an online marketplace for freelance creatives, the platform evolved to manage the full recruitment lifecycle from candidate sourcing to payroll and invoicing with artificial intelligence integrations. Operating globally across 16 offices, the enterprise processes more than 78 billion transactions annually, supports over 1,400 employees, and generates nearly $500 million in annual revenue. The subscription-based software currently serves more than 10,000 corporate customers and over 178,000 individual users worldwide. To support this ongoing global expansion, the profitable software business is backed by major private equity and venture capital firms including Stone Point Capital, Insight Partners, and Genstar Capital. Bullhorn was founded in 1999 by co-founders Art Papas and Barry Hinckley.
Key people at Bullhorn.
Bullhorn has raised $26.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Bullhorn's investors include Highland Capital Partners.
Bullhorn has raised $26.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $26.0M Series D in May 2008.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2008 | $26M Series D | — | Highland Capital Partners | Announced |
Bullhorn is a Boston-headquartered cloud computing company that provides industry-leading CRM, applicant tracking system (ATS), and operations software tailored for staffing and recruitment agencies worldwide.[1][2] It serves over 10,000 customers and 350,000 users across more than 150 countries, automating the entire recruitment lifecycle—from sourcing and candidate onboarding to payroll, billing, and invoicing—with AI-infused tools like Bullhorn Amplify, AI Assistant, and Search & Match.[1][2][5] The platform solves key pain points for staffing firms, such as coordinating remote teams, scaling without proportional headcount growth, and improving candidate-client matches by up to 49%, enabling efficient business transformation through a balance of AI automation and human expertise.[1][5] With 1,400 employees globally and founder-led since 1999, Bullhorn demonstrates strong growth momentum, backed by investors including Stone Point Capital, Insight Partners, and Genstar Capital.[1]
Bullhorn was founded in 1999 by Roger Colvin, Barry Hinckley, and Art Papas, who remains CEO, initially as a platform for freelancers to find and collaborate on work.[2] In 2001, it pivoted to CRM software for vertical markets, specifically addressing staffing firms' challenges in coordinating remote branch offices through a web-based SaaS solution.[1][2] Early traction built rapidly: revenue grew from $2 million in 2004 to $67 million by 2013, with customer base expanding to 6,000 in 34 countries.[2] Under Vista Equity Partners' ownership, Bullhorn quadrupled revenue by acquiring companies like MaxHire Solutions, Sendouts, The Code Works, and EASY Software Solutions, sharpening its focus on staffing and recruiting.[2] This evolution from a general freelance tool to a dominant recruitment platform reflects Papas' vision for innovative, collaborative software that unifies sales, recruiting, operations, and finance.[1]
Bullhorn rides the wave of AI-driven workforce transformation in staffing, where labor shortages and remote work demand efficient, scalable hiring amid a $500+ billion global staffing market.[1][5] Its timing aligns with post-pandemic shifts to hybrid operations and AI adoption, automating repetitive tasks to boost recruiter productivity and margins—critical as agencies face rising competition and talent scarcity.[1][2] Market forces like cloud SaaS proliferation and regulatory pressures on compliance favor Bullhorn's integrated platform, which powers 350,000 users and influences ecosystem standards through sponsorships and Gartner recognition in salesforce automation.[2][4] By enabling data-driven insights and best practices, it shapes how recruitment firms evolve, blending AI with human relationships to redefine industry efficiency.
Bullhorn is poised to dominate AI-enhanced staffing software, expanding Amplify's capabilities to further automate placements and personalize scaling for small to enterprise firms amid accelerating AI integration in HR tech.[5] Trends like generative AI for matching and predictive analytics will propel growth, potentially pushing beyond its current 10,000-customer base as economic recoveries boost hiring demand. Its influence may evolve through more acquisitions and ecosystem partnerships, solidifying founder-led innovation as the core driver transforming recruitment from fragmented to unified, AI-human hybrid operations—echoing its origin as the collaboration enabler for a global industry.[1][2]
