Angel investor backing helps UrFuture connect Gen Z with employers via AI matching
This article covers UrFuture, an HRtech startup, which has won local angel backing as it prepares a larger equity round to expand its recruitment app and employer-facing services. It aims to support Gen Z jobseekers and employers looking to engage younger candidates at scale.
UrFuture, an HRtech startup that targets Gen Z jobseekers, says it has won local angel investor backing as it prepares a larger equity round to expand its recruitment app and employer-facing services. The company’s rapid early traction — downloads, active users and blue-chip employer customers — makes the move relevant for anyone watching how youth recruitment is being reshaped in the UK.
Why it matters
Employers are struggling to reach younger candidates at scale and with authenticity. UrFuture’s early user growth and social presence suggest a route for organisations to engage Gen Z on platforms and formats they use. The startup’s work with national employers and recent involvement in a government announcement on technical education show how digital hiring channels and public policy are intersecting.
Inside the product
UrFuture launched an app in August 2025 that combines behavioural science, AI-driven matching and social-media-led content to help under-25s find entry-level roles. The firm reports more than 23,000 downloads and roughly 20,000 active users since launch.
Several national employers are using the app to promote early-career opportunities. Examples named by the company include British Airways, Tesco, Sky, British Gas and the Metropolitan Police; each represents a high-volume entry-level hiring market where reaching Gen Z at scale matters for filling roles from retail and hospitality to apprenticeships and junior technical posts.
The product is positioned as a recruitment channel as much as a job board: it offers employer pages, role discovery tools and content aimed at the specific behaviours and expectations of Gen Z candidates. That combination is why the company says it has been able to attract both users and employer customers quickly.
Who are the investors?
Part of UrFuture’s latest fundraising includes a five-figure investment from a consortium of Lancashire’s Fhunded Angels. The contribution is described as one element of a broader funding effort: the company has already completed two earlier funding rounds involving venture capital and private investment, and it is now targeting a further seven-figure equity raise early next year.
Fhunded Angels is a network of high-net-worth individuals established by Lancashire County Council earlier this year. The council has described it as the largest angel network of its kind managed by a local authority, formed to support local startups and entrepreneurs.
In the announcement, Thomas Keighley, Co-founder & CEO at UrFuture, said:
By blending the rigour of behavioural science, the immediacy and precision of AI, and the authenticity of social media, UrFuture has successfully developed a job-hunting experience which taps into the needs of Gen Z. But despite the rapid growth we’ve experienced since launching less than six months ago, and the long list of blue-chip companies who are queuing up to work with us, we can’t afford to sit still. That’s why we’re looking to close a further seven-figure round of equity investment early next year. Securing this backing from the Fhunded Angels is therefore very significant, as it demonstrates we are a very investible proposition going forward.
In the announcement, Nikki Whittle, Angel at Fhunded, said:
UrFuture is already redefining the recruitment experience for thousands of young people. Further, by becoming a trusted brand among Gen Z, the company is getting significant traction with employers wanting to reach under-25s looking for jobs. The market potential is huge, both here in the UK and internationally, and Thomas and his team are incredibly experienced in this space. From an investor point of view, that all adds up to a very strong proposition.
In the announcement, Martyn Sutton, Lancashire County Council, said:
UrFuture is just the kind of business Fhunded Angels was set up to support. It’s an innovative business, spearheaded by an ambitious Lancashire entrepreneur, which is clearly going places. It’s also the third investment which has been facilitated by the Fhunded Angels since launching in March, which is a remarkable achievement.
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Founder perspective
UrFuture was founded in Preston in 2023 by Thomas Keighley, with co-founders Holly Hobbs and Jayel Williams. The founders say they have focused on rapid user growth through social channels such as TikTok and Instagram, where they have built visibility among Gen Z jobseekers.
The team was invited to 10 Downing Street earlier this year to meet government officials and to be involved in the announcement of a new network of Technical Excellence Colleges designed to attract young people into construction-sector training. The company interprets that involvement as evidence of its embedded position in the youth careers landscape.
In the announcement, Holly Hobbs, Co-founder at UrFuture, said:
The government didn’t just invite us to talk with them about the launch of the colleges, they chose UrFuture as the channel to announce them nationally. That demonstrates not only how embedded UrFuture already is within the Gen Z careers landscape, it also highlights how all employers, skill providers, and policymakers, need to find more dynamic and innovative ways to engage with young people.
The bigger picture
UrFuture’s story touches on several wider trends: regional investment initiatives led by local authorities, new channels for engaging Gen Z candidates, and the increasing use of AI and behavioural science in recruitment. For UK HRtech startups, the case highlights both the potential to scale quickly through social-first approaches and the need for further capital to convert early traction into sustainable revenue and product depth.
The involvement of an authority-backed angel network also underlines a shift in how regional ecosystems are supporting startups outside London, which could have implications for talent pipelines and employer hiring strategies across the UK and Europe.
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