Glasgow-based Willo raises £3m from Mimecast co-founder Peter Bauer
At a glance
This article covers a £3m funding round on 29 September 2025 for Willo, the Glasgow-based recruitment technology platform, founded by Euan Cameron, Andrew Wood, and Hamish Livingston. The round, led by Mimecast co-founder Peter Bauer, takes total funding to more than £5.9m, with continued support from earlier backers.
What does Willo do?
Willo is a recruitment platform that provides structured video and audio interviews and automated verification. It is used by employers to screen candidates and verify identity, education, employment history, and skills.
Why is Willo useful?
Problem
Employers face a sharp rise in fraudulent and AI-generated job applications. This makes it hard to check candidates' identities, education, work history and genuine skills.
Solution
Willo explains that it automatically verifies candidate identity, education, employment and skills by pulling data from trusted third-party sources.
How much did Willo raise?
Willo raised £3m in a funding round from Mimecast co-founder Peter Bauer. It is the company’s largest single raise to date, taking total funding beyond £5.9m. This makes it the 47th largest funding round in September 2025 (58 recorded). The deal is also 284th among UK investments this year (465 recorded) in the Startupmag database, as of 29 September 2025.
For details on how Startupmag compiles its rankings, view our Methodology.
Who invested in Willo?
Key investors include:
- Peter Bauer: An angel investor with a background in cybersecurity and enterprise email security and co-founder of Mimecast; he has provided repeated funding to Willo and will continue to support its US expansion.
If you're researching potential backers in this space:
- Explore our list of HRtech venture capital firms in the UK
- Browse our directory of HRtech angel investors in the UK
Who founded Willo?
The founders of Willo are Euan Cameron, Andrew Wood and Hamish Livingston.
In the funding announcement, Euan Cameron, co-founder and CEO of Willo said:
Employers tell us they are inundated with AI-generated CVs that are hard to verify and review. That’s making it increasingly difficult for genuine, qualified candidates to stand out,
Where is Willo based?
Willo is based in Glasgow, UK.
What sector is Willo in?
Willo operates in the HRtech sector. HRtech uses software to improve recruitment, onboarding and employee management. In simple terms, it makes hiring and staff tasks faster and more reliable.
Key trends and challenges in HRtech:
Rise of AI-generated and fraudulent applications
Employers face more AI-generated and fraudulent applications, for example CVs that falsely claim work history.
Growing demand for automated verification and structured screening
Demand for automated verification and structured screening grows, using background checks and verified profiles to reduce mis-hires.
Remote and hybrid work widening applicant pools
Remote and hybrid work widen applicant pools, increasing volume and cross-border verification needs, for example checking foreign qualifications.
For a deeper look at innovation in this space, see the latest funded HRtech startups in the UK
Click here for a full list of 7,233+ startup investors in the UK