Orbio secures ? million to automate frontline hiring and workforce management
Orbio announced a ? million Series A led by Dawn Capital to expand its AI-driven hiring, onboarding and workforce management platform. Founded in 2025 by Sergi Bastardas, Nacho Travesí and Antonio Melé, the enterprise startup has now raised ? million.
Why frontline workforce management needs attention
Healthcare, retail, logistics and hospitality businesses often manage large, distributed teams through disconnected systems. Spreadsheets, phone calls and isolated recruiting tools make it harder to select candidates, complete onboarding and identify retention risks.
The problem affects a vast workforce. Bastardas highlighted 2.7 billion people who keep these industries operating, many of whom do not have a corporate email address. Conventional enterprise software has therefore provided them with limited access to structured support and communication.
Orbio addresses this gap with AI agents named Maria, Daniel and Claire. They can interview applicants, assess suitability, monitor employee output and conduct daily check-ins throughout the employment lifecycle. Businesses retain oversight while delegating repeatable workforce operations to the agents.
From pilots to full deployment
Orbio lists Poke and YUM! Brands, the owner of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC, among its customers. Bastardas said clients are progressing from pilot projects to full software deployments.
At behavioral health provider The Stepping Stones Group, Orbio now runs the full US operation. The company reports that 20% more candidates are making it through the process to become employees.
“Each agent generates data that feeds back into the others: onboarding signals inform recruiting quality; exit interviews reveal why employees leave, which recalibrates hiring criteria; engagement data identifies retention risks.”
The company competes with recruiting automation provider Paradox and frontline management platform WorkJam, although Bastardas identifies legacy processes as the principal alternative. Orbio plans to use the new capital to hire staff and develop additional AI agents.
For businesses with large frontline teams, the practical opportunity is not simply faster recruitment. Connecting hiring, onboarding, engagement and retention data can reduce operational fragmentation, but adoption should be measured against completion rates, hiring quality and employee outcomes before broader deployment.