Berlin-based Emerge Tech GmbH, an HR tech startup, secures funding from High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and Heimatboost investment community. The capital will finance platform development and preparation for a seed round.
Emerge Tech offers an AI-driven employer-branding platform that helps small and mid-sized companies attract and engage talent as effectively as large corporations by automating and streamlining the entire employer-branding process.
Daniel Braun, co-founder & CEO of Emerge Tech, says, “To solve the skills shortage, we must start with employers. Our AI agents will create game-changing opportunities, finally enabling smaller teams to stand out as employers and reshape HR.”
Using AI against the skills shortage
Facing a labour shortage projected to peak in 2035, companies are already struggling to stand out in the talent market. This is where Emerge Tech looks to make a difference. Founded in 2024, the company offers a cost-effective AI alternative to traditional recruitment agencies.
Reiner Kriegler, co-founder & CPO at Emerge Tech, says, “Employer branding has long been a privilege reserved for big brands. However, talent doesn’t make decisions based on budget; authenticity wins. That’s exactly where our AI comes in.”
The company offers two specialised agents, “Creative Carla”, which shapes a company’s identity and messaging, and “Channel Charly”, which distributes that messaging through data-driven channel selection. The agents deliver corporate-level employer branding to small and medium-sized businesses.
The company’s early results showcase a 40 per cent improvement in candidate-organisation fit, an 87 per cent reduction in costs versus agencies, and a 54 per cent decrease in day-to-day recruiting effort.
In 2025, Emerge Tech will concentrate on user growth and product refinement, with global expansion and additional AI agents covering the full employee experience slated for 2026.
Emerge Tech is led by three founders. Daniel Braun, who grew HR-tech firm WorkGenius to £150M in US revenue, serves as CEO. Wolf Reiner Kriegler, founder of the German Employer Branding Academy and an early voice in employer branding, is the chief product officer. Thomas Holl, co-founder of the language-learning platform Babbel, acts as the CTO.
What’s next for Emerge Tech?
Emerge Tech will work through 2025 to raise product quality and grow its user base for AI agents Carla and Charly, building a scalable and robust agent model.
The company plans a seed funding round in late 2025. After the round, it will begin international expansion and develop new agents that cover the full people experience, including onboarding and performance management.
Christian Arndt, Principal at HTGF, says, “The complementary and experienced founding team at Emerge immediately impressed us. Their blend of HR expertise and technological know-how is precisely what is required to facilitate the long-term digital transformation of medium-sized businesses. We are delighted to support Emerge on this journey as an investor.”
Brief about HTGF
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is an early-stage investor based in Germany, active across deep tech, industrial tech, climate tech, digital tech, life sciences and chemistry. Since 2005, HTGF has invested in more than 770 startups and recorded nearly 200 exits.
The fund manages over €2B and invests in both pre-seed and seed phases, with the ability to join later-stage financing rounds. HTGF is backed by a public-private partnership that includes the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital, and 45 companies and family offices.
