Founder venture · Co-founded and built
FirstLook
A hiring platform that fights AI-generated application spam
The Problem
Recruiters are drowning in AI-generated applications. Every open role attracts hundreds of submissions, and the signal-to-noise ratio has collapsed. Hiring managers can't tell who's real, who's genuinely interested, and who hit "apply" with a bot.
The tools that exist focus on filtering after the damage is done. Nobody was asking the harder question: what if you could tell the difference before you even open the application?
The Approach
I co-founded FirstLook and led the build of the platform: positioning, product design, scoring engine, billing integration and marketing site.
The scoring engine went through multiple iterations. The first version was a deliberately simple scoring model. By v3.1, it routes through four distinct algorithms based on configuration, measuring engagement signals, effort indicators, and behavioural patterns that separate genuine candidates from spray-and-pray applications.
AI was used throughout the build - not as a shortcut, but as a collaborator. Strategy was pressure-tested across multiple AI platforms before a line of code was written. The 20-day build sprint from concept to working product is documented in detail.
How It Grew
FirstLook's go-to-market was designed before launch, not bolted on after. The wedge is thought leadership in a genuinely hot topic - AI-generated application spam and what it's doing to hiring - led from the founder's own voice and built in public.
LinkedIn is the primary channel: entering the live industry debate rather than broadcasting features (one CMO hiring-scenario post cleared 13k+ impressions), reinforced by earned media including a Recruiter.co.uk feature with wire-service pickup. Positioning first, distribution by design - the marketing discipline behind the build.
The Explainer
The Product
Results & Status
- Live product with Stripe billing active
- Press coverage in Recruiter.co.uk with wire service pickup
- Real paying signups - Foodzie (Yue Hang Lee) was the first external user
- Pricing validated: Free / £79 Starter / £199 Pro / £49 Pay-Per-Role
- Concept to working product in 20 days
What It Demonstrates
- End-to-end SaaS capability: strategy, design, development, billing, go-to-market
- Complex scoring engine architecture with multiple algorithm routing
- Solo operation of a revenue-generating B2B platform