Catapult is a recruitment agency that has replaced consultants with technology in a bid to be more efficient. SME caught up with co-founder Oli Johnson to find out more…
Tell me about your company – where did the idea come from? How did you get started?
Steffen, Ben and I created Catapult in 2015 because we’ve previously all been on both sides of the hiring and staffing equation and felt hugely frustrated with how time consuming, inefficient and costly it is.
We founded Catapult to entirely transform the current agency staffing model by replacing expensive consultants with technology. We cut recruitment costs by 75% and for the first time provide true flexibility to both businesses and people looking for temporary employment. To date our unique proposition has really taken off and we received seed funding of £1 million in January 2016.
How would you describe your business’ ideology?
Simply put, our mission statement is to build nothing less than the world’s most efficient staffing platform and pass on the benefits to businesses and people alike.
Could you tell me a bit about your product/services range?
Catapult serves two audiences, employers and job candidates.
For employers using Catapult means they can bring in quality temporary staff in under an hour, pay only 10% on hours worked and not have to worry about any pesky paperwork.
Candidates set their own hourly rates and choose which roles they want, while building their experience and credibility with employers.
In our mind, Catapult gives the best of both worlds to employers and candidates.
Tell me about your role – what does a typical day look like for you?
Catapult is incredibly fast paced and, being an early stage startup, there isn’t really a ‘typical’ day. Certain days are focused on meeting current and prospective clients, while others are full on product development days with hours spent in a room with whiteboard and plenty of coffee. Occasionally I even do shifts with some of our clients to better understand the experience from a candidate’s perspective.
