• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Others Just Put Millions Into Student Recruitment Startup Handshake

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 31, 2018, 6:00 AM ET
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and others just put millions into college recruitment startup Handshake.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and others just put millions into college recruitment startup Handshake.Hindustan Times via Getty Images

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the philanthropic arm of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, has invested in Handshake, a fast-growing startup focused on job recruitment for college students.

The organization joined the Omidyar Network, Reach Capital, and previous investors in the $40 million funding. EQT Ventures led the round and EQT partner Alastair Mitchell joined the startup’s board of directors.

Although The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative may be known for philanthropic efforts that focus on healthcare and other sectors, it also invests in startups. Vivian Wu, the organization’s managing partner for venture investments, said it looks to invest in companies with sustainable business plans that are “driving social change.”

In Handshake’s case, the startup sells software to universities that lets them more efficiently manage student career services and job placement. Students can create LinkedIn-like profiles that they can fill with relevant coursework or extra-curricular activities to make them more attractive work candidates for businesses.

The startup also sells software to companies for searching for prospective candidates.

Tim Streeter, the global head of recruitment for home appliance giant Whirlpool, is testing Handshake’s service. It can be difficult to find students outside of Midwest universities who are willing to move to the company’s headquarters in southwest Michigan, he said.

With Handshake, Streeter said that Whirlpool can more easily scout students nationwide without having to attend school “career days,” where they may end up courting students who have no intention of ever moving.

“If there are people on the East and West Coast that want to relocate, we can find them,” Streeter said about using Handshake’s software.

Lord hopes that the software will lead to students from outside the most prestigious universities having a better chance of getting jobs at top companies.

Handshake is not profitable and it currently gets most of its sales from universities, Handshake CEO Garrett Lord said. The plan is to significantly grow its corporate sales business in 2019 so that it eventually accounts for more revenue than universities.

Over 700 universities and 300,000 companies use Handshake’s software. Wu said that she’s working with Lord to create programs to help companies recruit more diverse candidates, but declined to elaborate. A Chan Zuckerberg Initiative spokesperson added that details are still to be defined.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

As for the employee-centered websites like LinkedIn or Indeed, Streeter said that he’s found those services lacking when it comes to college students and university career services.

“They haven’t cracked the nut yet,” he said.

But, that doesn’t mean that those job websites are ignoring Handshake.

“Maybe LinkedIn and Indeed are sitting back and hoping for an acquisition opportunity in the future,” Streeter said, explaining why they haven’t concentrated on students.

With its latest funding, which closed in mid-October, Handshake has raised a total of $74 million. Lord declined to disclose the company’s valuation.

Update Oct. 31 at 2:30 PM PT with additional comments from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative spokesperson.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

moltbook
AISocial Media
Meta transformed social networking for humans, now it’s acquiring Moltbook, the chatroom for chatbots
By The Associated PressMarch 11, 2026
2 minutes ago
Current price of Ethereum as of Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for March 11, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMarch 11, 2026
53 minutes ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Exclusive: Translucent, an AI-native healthcare finance startup, raises $27 million Series A
By Allie GarfinkleMarch 11, 2026
3 hours ago
NewslettersFortune Tech
Meta’s ex AI boss is convinced his former employer is betting on the wrong technology and he just raised $1 billion to prove it
By Alexei OreskovicMarch 11, 2026
4 hours ago
hyams
CommentaryHBCUs
AI is the most important civil and human rights issue of our time — HBCUs need to be in the driver’s seat
By Chris Hyams and Meme StylesMarch 11, 2026
4 hours ago
Man in a suit and tie gesturing while talking.
BankingOracle
Oracle blows investors away with 22% ‘hyper growth’—but cash flow crunches to negative $24.7 billion
By Amanda GerutMarch 10, 2026
14 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
'This cannot be sustainable': The U.S. borrowed $50 billion a week for the past five months, the CBO says
By Eleanor PringleMarch 10, 2026
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary doesn't care if you work from your basement. He just wants to know if you can ‘execute’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMarch 10, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
Billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg used mortgages to buy multimillion-dollar mansions. Here’s why that’s a savvy financial decision
By Sydney LakeMarch 9, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Big Tech
Big tech has defeated everything for 30 years, but for the first time faces something it can't control: a jury
By Carolina Rossini and The ConversationMarch 10, 2026
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Washington state wants to keep employers from microchipping workers, before anyone even gets the idea
By Catherina GioinoMarch 10, 2026
18 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Trump's immigration crackdown is backfiring by hurting the U.S.-born workers it was meant to help, data shows
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 10, 2026
19 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.