Udit Agarwal
US-based human resource consulting firm Mercer, a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, has acquired Gurugram-based talent assessment startup Mettl, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition marks the Mercer’s entry into the rapidly growing global talent assessment market, further strengthening its position as a strategic talent advisor to companies.
Avendus Capital acted as the sole financial advisor to Mettl, for the deal. Mettl was founded by two IIT and IIM alumni Ketan Kapoor and Tonmoy Singhal in 2009. The startup helps organisations to hire skilled people through various SaaS-based tests like psychometric assessments, aptitude tests, coding tests, and job-specific functional tests.
The platform includes proprietary content to measure personality, ability and job-specific skills, leveraging data analytics. The startup claims to have helped more than 1,500 companies, 24 sector skill councils, and 15 educational institutes across more than 80 countries. Some of its prominent clients include SAP, Amazon, Microsoft, Wipro, and Accenture.
Mettl last raised $4 million from Kalaari Capital in series A funding round in August 2012. It also counts Blume Ventures as its investor.
The cloud-based online assessment startup can leverage Mercer’s global footprint and leadership position to scale sustainably while helping companies make intelligent hiring decisions. Mercer delivers advice and technology-driven solutions, helping organisations meet the health, wealth, and career needs of its employees. It has more than 23,000 employees across 130 countries.
Anish Sarkar, CEO, Mercer India, said, “The combination of Mercer’s pedigree and talent industry experience in India and Mettl’s leading-edge and scalable proprietary technology platform, will enable companies in India to improve their workforce as they prepare for the future of work amidst rapid digitization.” Other players in the HRtech domain helping with the hiring process include Belong, Darwinbox, EdGE Networks, and HackerEarth, among many others.
