Sales Hiring Platform Scooter Raises Rs 1.5 Cr Pre-Seed Led by AJVC

Pune-based sales recruitment startup Scooter has raised Rs 1.5 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by AJVC, the pre-seed investment fund headed by Aviral Bhatnagar.

The fresh funding will be deployed to accelerate product development and streamline the hiring workflow for sales professionals and recruitment teams. The transaction marks AJVC’s first investment in a startup based in Pune.

Rethinking Sales Recruitment Beyond Resumes

Founded in 2024 by Kartik Mandrekar and Saumya Seth, Scooter operates an assessment-first platform designed to help startups and high-growth companies hire sales talent. Instead of relying primarily on traditional CVs, which often fail to reflect actual closing skills, the platform evaluates candidates through simulated, real-world sales scenarios.

The founding team combines deep commercial and analytical backgrounds. Mandrekar previously led sales teams at Gartner, Shoptimize, and Graas, while Seth is a behavioural scientist who holds a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Together, they designed Scooter to address the structural mismatch between polished resumes and actual selling performance.

Practical Scenario Assessments and Video Screening

Scooter’s workflow begins by sourcing pre-vetted sales professionals. Candidates complete scenario-based evaluations that simulate customer pitches, objections, and deal negotiations.

Hiring managers receive a curated shortlist of three to five qualified candidates. The platform allows recruiters and sales leaders to review short video excerpts from each candidate’s live simulation before reviewing their CV. By prioritizing verified execution over self-reported credentials, one customer was able to complete a sales hire through Scooter in six days.

Rapid Enterprise Adoption and Expanding Talent Pool

Scooter currently works with more than 50 companies and has added 14 new clients in recent months. The startup has built an active candidate pool exceeding 10,000 sales professionals across various seniority levels and domains.

The company is addressing a common operational bottleneck for startups and growing enterprises: the extended cycle and high cost of bad sales hires. By automating scenario testing and delivering vetted shortlists, Scooter aims to cut recruitment turnarounds while improving retention and quota attainment for commercial teams.