Orbio Lands $21M to Bring AI to Frontline Hiring

AI-powered workforce startup Orbio has secured $21 million in fresh funding as it looks to transform how businesses hire, onboard, and manage frontline employees.

The company announced its Series A round on Monday, with the investment led by Dawn Capital. The new funding comes as demand grows for AI tools that can streamline workforce operations in industries such as healthcare, retail, logistics, and hospitality.

Founded in 2025 by Sergi Bastardas, Nacho Travesí, and Antonio Melé, Orbio was created to solve a challenge Bastardas repeatedly encountered during his years at Amazon and floriculture startup Colvin: the lack of efficient systems for managing large frontline workforces.

Today, the startup is betting that AI agents can fill that gap.

AI Agents Take Over Hiring and Onboarding Tasks

At the heart of Orbio’s platform are AI-powered agents named Maria, Daniel, and Claire. These virtual assistants are designed to handle various workforce management responsibilities, from interviewing job candidates and evaluating qualifications to monitoring employee performance and conducting regular check-ins.

According to Bastardas, the goal is not simply to automate recruitment but to help businesses manage frontline teams more efficiently while improving the employee experience.

The AI agents continuously share information with one another, creating a feedback loop that helps companies make smarter workforce decisions.

For example, onboarding data can help improve future recruiting efforts, while employee engagement insights can identify workers who may be at risk of leaving. Exit interviews also provide valuable information that can be used to refine hiring strategies over time.

Major Brands Already Using the Platform

Orbio says several well-known companies have already adopted its technology.

Among its customers are Poke and YUM! Brands, the parent company behind major restaurant chains including Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC. These organizations use the platform to onboard and manage frontline workers at scale.

Bastardas noted that many customers have moved beyond pilot programs and are now fully deploying the software across their operations.

One example is behavioral healthcare provider The Stepping Stones Group. According to the company, Orbio now manages the organization’s entire U.S. operation, helping increase the number of candidates who successfully complete the hiring process by 20%.

Challenging Traditional Workforce Management

While Orbio competes with companies such as Paradox, which focuses on recruitment automation, and WorkJam, which provides workforce management tools, Bastardas believes the company’s biggest rival is the traditional way businesses manage employees.

Many organizations still rely on spreadsheets, phone calls, and disconnected systems to coordinate frontline workers, particularly in sectors with large hourly workforces.

Orbio aims to replace those outdated processes with AI-driven automation that can handle repetitive administrative tasks while providing better visibility into workforce performance.

Betting Big on the Future of AI Workforce Tools

With the latest investment, Orbio’s total funding has now reached $26 million. Previous investors include Visionaries and 2100 Ventures.

The company plans to use the new capital to expand its team and develop additional AI agents capable of handling more workforce functions.

Bastardas believes the opportunity extends far beyond helping businesses cut costs or improve efficiency.

He argues that frontline workers—estimated at 2.7 billion people globally across healthcare, retail, logistics, and hospitality—have historically received little attention from technology providers, especially compared to office-based employees.

“This is their AI moment,” Bastardas said, describing a future where intelligent software helps both employers and workers navigate hiring, onboarding, engagement, and retention more effectively.

As businesses increasingly embrace AI-driven operations, Orbio is positioning itself at the center of a growing market focused on modernizing how frontline work gets done.

Also read : Elon Musk Becomes First Trillionaire After SpaceX IPO