Our founders Daniel Yanisee and Jonathan Perichon were working as engineers at on-demand delivery startup Deliv and saw firsthand that the background check industry was antiquated. As the on-demand economy was exploding, the background check process was stuck in time—tedious and slow. It was slowing down the hiring process on both sides, especially among companies with a fast moving, flexible workforce like the gig economy.At heart, they are engineers. They see a problem, and they want to fix it. They knew they could streamline the background check process to put people to work quickly without sacrificing accuracy. This led to the creation of Checkr, an API-first technology platform that combines the best in human expertise and AI to simplify disjointed, labor-intensive hiring processes. Our mission really solidified over their first interactions with job applicants. They heard firsthand the hardships of finding a job—and putting food on the table. They saw applicants get rejected because of something in the past, which in no way impacted their ability to do the jobs they were applying for today. They saw an opportunity to be a positive force in the job market – to focus on eliminating bias and championing a fairer future.
Daniel held high regard for Y Combinator, even back during his time living in Europe. He considered Y Combinator an ideal platform for transitioning from an engineer to a founder - a vision he shared with Checkr co-founder, Jonathan Perichon. Captivated by their experience at several Y Combinator events, they applied and were accepted into the program.Their time at Y Combinator was transformative, and they consider themselves YC superfans. One memorable experience was what Daniel likes to call 'speed dating' with investors during a demo day held at the Computer History Museum. Before this, Daniel's understanding of the venture capital landscape was somewhat limited. His YC experience gave him essential knowledge and investor exposure that has proven instrumental in Checkr's growth.