The entrepreneurs behind two of the UK’s most successful hospitality tech businesses, Sam Brown and Nick Holroyd-Doveton, have joined forces to launch Candid Hospitality, a new venture aiming to reshape hospitality recruitment. They’ve recently secured £800,000 in funding from NPIF II – Mercia Equity Finance, Haatch, and an angel investor, marking the first NPIF II equity investment in Hull.
Brown and Holroyd-Doveton bring significant sector experience, having previously led Airship Services and Omnifi, respectively, both of which were successfully acquired. Their latest platform, Candid, was developed with input from leading hospitality operators and suppliers.
Candid allows candidates to build anonymous profiles, letting them view opportunities while protecting their current employment status. For employers, it aims to streamline the hiring process by moving beyond traditional CVs. Instead, Candid matches candidates based on skills and values, ensuring not only job requirement alignment but but also cultural fit. Hospitality operators and suppliers pay a flat monthly fee for recruitment across all levels, from front of house to boardroom.
Since its launch in February, Candid has rapidly attracted over 3,000 candidates and 100 brands, including major players like Big Table Group, Loungers, and Honest Burgers, resulting in over 700 matches. The company plans to double its team from seven to 14 within the next two years.
Nick Holroyd-Doveton highlights the driving force behind Candid: “Having spent years in hospitality, both Sam and I know the challenges of recruitment. Candidates are often afraid to look for a better job in case their current boss finds out, while employers spend huge sums on new hires only to find they are the wrong fit. We felt the process must be ripe for change.”
He explains that Candid uses the “3Cs – culture, competencies, and compensation – which are key to successful hires.” The platform’s anonymity is crucial; it “protects candidates and removes subconscious bias, and enables employers to access ‘passive hires’ who may not be active job seekers but may be interested if the right role came along.”
Beyond the CV: A Focus on Skills, Values, and Unlocking Passive Talent
Candid Hospitality’s rapid traction underscores a significant shift in the recruitment landscape, particularly within the dynamic hospitality sector. For HR leaders and people teams, this venture highlights several crucial trends and opportunities. The emphasis on skills and values-based matching moves beyond the traditional reliance on CVs, which can often be limited in truly reflecting a candidate’s potential contribution to a team or an organisation’s culture. This approach directly tackles the “wrong fit” challenge, a costly and time-consuming issue for businesses.
Furthermore, the anonymity feature is a powerful tool in addressing unconscious bias, fostering more equitable hiring practices. It also strategically unlocks the often-untapped pool of passive candidates — individuals who are not actively seeking new roles but might be open to the right opportunity if presented discreetly. In a sector as people-centric as hospitality, where talent shortages and high turnover can be persistent challenges, innovative platforms like Candid offer a blueprint for more efficient, fair, and ultimately successful talent acquisition strategies.
This initiative by Sam Brown and Nick Holroyd-Doveton represents more than just a new tech platform; it reflects an evolving understanding of how to connect the right people with the right roles, prioritising long-term fit and unlocking new talent pipelines in a highly competitive market.