Howdy.com Acquires Brazilian Talent Marketplace, GeekHunter, As Demand for AI Engineers Increases
AUSTIN, Texas —Howdy.com, a talent sourcing and management provider that connects U.S. companies with Latin American (LATAM) tech workers, announced the acquisition of GeekHunter, one of the largest and most reputable talent marketplaces for companies to hire developers from Brazil. As a result of the acquisition, GeekHunter will operate as a subsidiary of Howdy.com, increasing the number and quality of talented software developers U.S. companies can remotely hire from LATAM to build scalable engineering teams.
The acquisition comes at a time when both companies have experienced an increased demand for AI and machine learning skills, and it marks Howdy.com as one of the largest tech-hiring service providers for companies in North and South America. GeekHunter, which finds, hires, and pays Brazilian tech talent, adds nearly 400,000 registered candidates to Howdy.com’s services. Team members from both companies cover more than 100 engineering skills, including AI development, Android, Angular, Data Engineering, DevOps, GoLang, Java, Kotlin, Node.js, Python, Ruby on Rails, and much more. The influx of talent allows both companies to provide customers with more hiring choices in regards to skills, costs, location, and culture-fit.
“Companies looking to hire qualified, exceptional engineers for their teams now have one of the largest collections of talent to choose from,” said Jacqueline Samira, CEO and founder of Howdy.com. “LATAM has proven to have some of the most reliable and technically-sound software engineers in the world because of the quality of education, proficiency in English, and alignment with U.S. time zones. The acquisition of GeekHunter is a pivotal step in powering business growth and creating more opportunity for our businesses and customers.”
GeekHunter is one of the leaders in recruiting and hiring top technology talent within Brazil and has more than 13,000 companies registered on its platform. The company performed exceptionally well during the pandemic and recent economic downturn, displaying the resilience of its business model and leadership. Brazilian tech talent is among the top in the world, with its data science and technology sectors ranking in the 99th and 87th percentiles, respectively. Acquiring GeekHunter means Howdy.com will be able to continue to provide U.S. companies with team members that meet both technical and professional requirements.
“The combination of our two companies creates a product that benefits not only customers, but also its team by handling all of the behind-the-scenes activities needed to hire the right person for the right job and support their long-term growth,” said Tomas Ferrari, CEO and co-founder of GeekHunter. “Howdy.com’s global reach and human-focused business model will provide customers with more hiring options to fit their business needs and give our team more opportunities to work on great projects.”
Unlike traditional freelancer platforms, Howdy.com takes a human-centric approach when helping companies access superb talent in LATAM. Howdy.com’s team members, located in LATAM, are able to work closely with companies in the U.S. because the time zones are closely aligned. The company handles every detail, including sourcing, vetting, payroll, benefits, and logistics, allowing any company to start building a team right away, reducing both the time and risk associated with international hiring.
As part of the deal, both brands and executive teams will remain separate and resources will be shared between them to help meet each of their customers’ unique needs. Customers include notable names, such as Accenture, Amazon, DISCO, IBM, Truepill, Workrise, and Vanta. The companies anticipate to reach $35 million in revenue by 2024.
About Howdy.com
Howdy.com takes a human-centered approach to find top software engineering talent in Latin America and pairing them with innovative U.S. tech employers. Howdy.com takes care of talent sourcing, payroll, local HR benefits, equipment, and ongoing mentorship to help tech companies build strong long-term engineering teams and foster the engineering community in LATAM.Howdy.com is headquartered in Austin, TX, and has six local offices across Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Bogota, Medellin, Cordoba, and Santiago. The company has raised $21 million through its Series A funding round led by Obvious Ventures and Greycroft.
