Scooter's scenario-based sales hiring platform draws AJVC-led $180K pre-seed

Scooter, a Pune, India-based human resources technology and recruitment software startup, has raised $180K in pre-seed funding. The round was led by AJVC, with a funding date of October 5, 2026.

Founded in 2024 by Kartik Mandrekar and Saumya Seth, Scooter develops a scenario-based sales hiring platform alongside a recruitment marketplace. The product sources verified sales professionals, puts them through practical sales assessments and behavioral scenarios, and provides hiring managers with a curated shortlist of candidates. The company says the platform currently serves over 50 corporate companies.

According to the announcement, Scooter will use the capital to strengthen its core recruitment software platform, expand its internal product development, and build its team across India. The company also plans to use the capital to further its growth.

The round sits in the HR tech category, where Scooter's focus is narrower than general-purpose recruiting software: it targets sales hiring specifically, combining candidate sourcing with assessment. That pairing — verification plus scenario-based evaluation before a hiring manager ever sees a shortlist — is the company's stated differentiator.

At $180K, the pre-seed is a small first check, typical of the earliest stage of company building. Scooter is not disclosing a valuation, revenue figures, or additional investors beyond AJVC.

Scooter's website is thescooter.ai, and it lists its software category as HR Tech.