Recruiters often waste countless hours calling candidates who rarely respond, especially in blue-collar fields like logistics and retail where email and LinkedIn aren’t common communication channels. Ringtime, a Ghent-based AI startup founded in September 2023, aims to transform this exhausting and inefficient process by deploying AI voice agents that handle candidate outreach, screening, and scheduling autonomously. The company just secured €1.8 million in seed funding led by Volta Ventures, signaling strong investor belief in AI’s potential to modernize a historically underserved segment of recruitment.
Ringtime’s AI system engages candidates by picking their preferred communication channel and language-supporting 22 languages-then conducts conversations independently of human recruiters. This approach is tailored for workers who frequently change jobs in sectors like warehousing, food processing, and construction, where traditional HR tools fall short due to reliance on email or polished resumes. ”The labour market for technical profiles is constantly shifting,” CEO Vincent Theeten noted, emphasizing the challenge recruiters face when their tools are designed for one job at one employer scenarios.
Theeten brings solid startup experience, known for founding Cheqroom, a Belgian equipment management company with clients like Google and Airbnb. His new venture is co-founded with Johan Krijgsman-CEO of ERA Belgium and real estate software firm Alfabet-as well as marketing veteran Diederik Syoen and Michiel Vanhaverbeke. Connections to ERA are already delivering results: Ringtime handles property viewing bookings outside office hours, ensuring prospective buyers can schedule visits without agents.
Ringtime’s AI voice agents transform blue-collar recruitment
Beyond recruitment, Ringtime envisions expanding its AI orchestration layer to any high-contact, time-sensitive sector, leveraging the same voice automation technology. The startup currently claims €400,000 in annual recurring revenue, with clients including staffing firms Trixxo Jobs, Synergie Jobs, and House of HR, though these numbers remain unverified.
Challenges in Europe’s blue-collar hiring and Ringtime’s solution
Europe’s struggle with blue-collar vacancies is a structural issue intensified by a mismatch between communication tools and the realities of frontline workers’ habits. Ringtime identifies the core problem as an outdated communication infrastructure rather than a simple job matching deficit. By creating a voice-first, AI-native platform, the startup could address a sizable gap that traditional HR software overlooks.
Expansion plans after €1.8 million seed funding
With the new funding, Ringtime plans to grow beyond Belgium, targeting the Netherlands, the UK, and Germany within the coming months. At just six months old, the company is an early experiment in whether AI-powered voice and messaging can bring the efficiency that office-focused software solutions have only partially delivered to the blue-collar hiring process. If successful, the world of warehouse operators and delivery drivers could receive job offers faster and more responsively than ever before.