Forget the days of waiting by the phone for a callback — your next job interview might be with Maria, Daniel, or Claire. And no, they're not real people.
According to TechCrunch, startup Orbio raised $21 million in Series A funding and is reshaping how restaurant chains like Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC hire and manage frontline workers. The round was led by Dawn Capital, bringing the company's total funding to $26 million.
Founded in 2025 by Sergi Bastardas, a veteran of Amazon and floriculture startup Colvin, Orbio created AI agents that handle the entire employee lifecycle — from interviews to onboarding to daily check-ins. The startup's customers have moved beyond pilot projects to full deployment, with behavioral health provider The Stepping Stones Group now running its entire US operations through Orbio's system.
At Stepping Stones, the AI agents have boosted hiring success by 20%, helping more candidates land the job. The three agents (Maria, Daniel, and Claire) assess fit, monitor output, and conduct wellness check-ins, replacing traditional HR roles.
Bastardas frames this as a shift for the 2.7 billion frontline workers globally who rarely have corporate email addresses. "This is their AI moment," he told TechCrunch, positioning Orbio as a democratizing force rather than a job-killer.
The competition is the outdated fragmented process that still relies on spreadsheets and phone calls across healthcare, retail, and logistics.
The fresh capital will fuel development of additional AI agents. Expect Maria, Daniel, and Claire to have more company in hiring rooms soon.
