How These Founders Are Replacing Resumes With Real Skills | Techstars Founder Profile
•February 23, 2026
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Why It Matters
Skill‑based hiring reduces bias and speeds recruitment, reshaping talent acquisition for high‑turnover sectors. Take2’s model offers employers measurable competence, cutting time‑to‑hire and improving workforce quality.
Key Takeaways
- •Take2 replaces resumes with skill‑based virtual assessments
- •Platform targets high‑volume frontline hiring, starting healthcare
- •$14 million Series A raised February 2026
- •Techstars mentorship sharpened product focus and scalability
- •Employers gain real‑time skill data, reducing time‑to‑hire
Pulse Analysis
The traditional résumé has long been criticized for its inability to capture a candidate’s practical abilities, especially in roles where on‑the‑spot performance matters most. Across industries, employers are turning to skill‑based hiring to mitigate bias and improve predictive hiring outcomes. Take2 taps into this shift by offering a virtual job experience platform that simulates real work tasks, allowing candidates to demonstrate competencies in a controlled, data‑rich environment. This approach aligns with broader HR tech trends that prioritize competency over credentials, catering to both employers and job seekers seeking transparent, merit‑based evaluation.
Take2’s initial focus on frontline healthcare positions addresses a market segment plagued by high turnover and massive applicant volumes. By embedding realistic scenarios—such as patient intake or medication administration—into its platform, the startup provides hiring managers with quantifiable performance metrics rather than relying on self‑reported experience. The company’s participation in Techstars 2023 accelerated product refinement, helping it scale the assessment engine and integrate analytics that flag top talent quickly. The recent $14 million Series A, led by investors familiar with HR innovation, will fund expansion into other high‑volume sectors like retail and logistics, while enhancing AI‑driven feedback loops for both candidates and employers.
The implications extend beyond Take2’s immediate customer base. As more firms adopt skill‑centric hiring, the demand for interoperable assessment data will rise, potentially reshaping applicant tracking systems and compliance frameworks. Investors are watching closely, seeing a pathway to reduce hiring costs and improve employee retention—key metrics for public companies and private enterprises alike. If Take2 can maintain its growth trajectory and broaden industry coverage, it could become a cornerstone of the next generation of talent acquisition platforms, setting new standards for how work readiness is measured and validated.
Original Description
Take2 (Techstars 2023) is building a new approach to hiring by focusing on real, on-the-job skills rather than resumes.
Founded by Kaushik Narasimhan and Yaniv Shimoni, Take2 is a virtual job experience platform helping employers better engage applicants and assess skills at scale, starting with frontline roles in health care. After going through the Techstars, the team refined their focus and continued building toward a more efficient, accessible hiring process.
Today, Take2 is growing quickly, having raised $14M in February 2026, and working with companies that manage high volumes of applicants. The founders share what it’s like building alongside a co-founder, navigating early-stage growth, and staying grounded in the problem they set out to solve.
Connect with Take2 on LinkedIn 👉 linkedin.com/company/mytake2/
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