A new app dubbed the ‘Skyscanner of energy recruitment’ has raised £1.5 million in fresh investment as it looks to overhaul the global energy industry using AI.

Launched in the first months of 2023, the Moblyze app, developed by Dundee-founded JAB Recruitment, is an ‘AI-driven talent marketplace’ for energy sector workers that the company claims ‘matches the right talent to the right opportunities in real-time’.

The funding comes from key figures in the Scottish business scene, including former chief financial officer of Skyscanner, Shane Corstorphine, and Garreth Wood, son of business luminary Sir Ian Wood and newly-installed chairman of the Wood Foundation, and follows a £100,000 commitment from Scottish Enterprise.

Development of Moblyze was supported by the initial investment of $700,000 (£523k) before being refined through testing with Fortune 500 companies, with a $1.2 million (£897k) second round financing the global rollout of the platform.

Chris Black, co-founder and chief growth officer at JAB Recruitment, led on the app’s design alongside energy recruitment experts, intending to optimise engagement, streamline placements, and improve time-to-hire by automating key hiring processes.

Through the app, candidates can ‘swipe right’ on jobs, with JAB saying it had seen the response rate to vacancies posted in the app up 50% on traditional website applications, while the ‘swipe right’ feature delivered a 5x increase in response speed. 

In one instance, the company claims that a Moblyze client in the North Sea published a vacancy for an ROV Pilot Technician in the app and filled the role within just five minutes after multiple qualified candidates swiped right.

“For decades, the energy sector has relied on outdated recruitment systems – some quite literally conceived in the last century,” Black told the Press & Journal.

“With our deep industry expertise and the backing of key investors, we’ve built a platform that reimagines recruitment for the energy workforce, both today and in the future.

“It’s essential that oil and gas workers aren’t left behind during the transition to renewables. Moblyze is redefining workforce mobility, ensuring a smooth shift within the app itself. 

“The transition ahead can feel uncertain, but Moblyze is designed to offer stability – helping workers and employers navigate the shift from high-carbon industries to a more sustainable energy future.”

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Last year, it was reported that JAB, now based in Westhill, just outside Aberdeen, had seen a 60% jump in UK revenue and 35% increase in US revenues, with plans to double its headcount within three years.

The firm, which claims more than 350 clients and locations in the UK, Canada and across the US, has long been a proponent of the advantages AI can offer in energy sector recruitment, saying last year that adopting emerging technologies could radically reduce the time it takes to source candidates as well as transforming the candidate experience.