About Firsthand
Firsthand is a Technology company based in New York (United States) founded in 2010, and was acquired by Infobase in January 2021. Students and alumni are connected through SAAS for career guidance. It operates on a Subscription Services and Aggregator Model model. The company has 150 employees. Its website firsthand.co draws about 47 thousand monthly visits. Firsthand offers products and services including Career Mentorship, Company Rankings & Profiles, Jobs & Internships, Exclusive Events, and Career Guides & Advice. Its focus areas include Education, Career Services and Job Placement. Its legal entity is Vault. Its competitors include LinkedIn, Shapr and Gist; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Career development is supported by Firsthand through a platform that connects applicants, students, job-seekers, and professionals with mentors, company rankings, job and internship opportunities, exclusive events, and career guides. Services are tailored for career seekers, schools, and employers across various professional fields. Unique resources and insights are provided to level the playing field and empower users from campus to workplace.
- Headquarters New York, United States
- Employees 150
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsTechnology
- Website firsthand.co
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by Infobase (Jan 2021)
- Legal Name Vault
Products & Services of Firsthand
Firsthand offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Career Mentorship, Company Rankings & Profiles, Jobs & Internships, Exclusive Events, and Career Guides & Advice.
Mentorship is provided to guide career seekers effectively.
Company insights are offered for informed career decisions.
Job and internship opportunities are listed for seekers.
Events are organized for networking with top companies.
Guides and advice are provided for career planning.
Funding Insights of Firsthand
- Total Rounds 1
- Investors Count 1
All 1 funding rounds of Firsthand with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2011 | Seed | β | β |
2 investors in total: 2 institutional.
Investors in Firsthand
Firsthand has secured backing from 2 investors, including venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Infobase and Musha Ventures.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Seed-stage tech investments are focused on Europe and the US. | mushaventures.com | New York, United States | ||
Supplemental educational resources are supplied to libraries and institutions. | 1940 | infobase.com | New York, United States |
Investor details for Firsthand
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Firsthand
11 people are tracked at Firsthand (6 in leadership, 5 in team); the tracked headcount is 150.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Lauren Sterwerf | Director Of Customer Success | Leadership |
John Donoghue | CEO | Leadership |
Eric Stutzke | SVP & General Manager, Vault | Leadership |
Kari Houle | VP of Customer Success & Support | Leadership |
Tonia Slain | VP of Sales for K-12 & Public Libraries | Leadership |
Neil Hamilton | Chief Financial Officer | Leadership |
Mabel Mannion | Customer Success Manager | Team |
Michelle Hart Faber | Professional Development And Training Strategy Manager | Team |
Jared McGinley | Strategic Account Manager | Team |
Marisol Gonzales | Business Development Executive | Team |
Tyler Goossen | Financial Analyst | Team |
Complete people profiles for Firsthand
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Firsthand
3 dated milestones of Firsthand across 11 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Firsthand is founded.
- Funding First funding round.
- Exit Acquired by Infobase.
Competitors of Firsthand
Firsthand has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include LinkedIn, Shapr and Gist.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| linkedin.com | 2003 | Sunnyvale, United States | $144.41M | 12,239 | Professional networking, job recruitment, and career tools are provided. | |
| shapr.co | 2014 | New York, United States | $16.5M | Professionals are matched online via shared interests and location. | ||
| gist.com | 2008 | Seattle, United States | $17.5M | 51 | Professionals are connected through an app-based platform with detailed profiles. |
Detailed competitors of Firsthand
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Web traffic of Firsthand
The website of Firsthand (firsthand.co) receives about 46.9K visits a month.
- Monthly visits46.9K
▲ 68.8% vs previous month
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Firsthand. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
rsm.nl | rsm.nl | 100% | #126,798 | β | |
honorsociety.org | honorsociety.org | 90% | #126,849 | β | |
| eur.nl | 60% | 2.8M | #22,064 | View details | |
gayle.com | gayle.com | 37% | #1,665,395 | β |
Top companies in HR & Workforce Technology
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Firsthand (HR & Workforce Technology) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anonymous employee reviews and job search platform are operated. | 2007 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 201.5 M | 1,695 | ||
Cloud-based LMS platform for IT industry | 2004 | Farmington, Utah, United States | USD 235.41 M | USD 4.95 M | 1,774 | |
Employee health benefits are facilitated via a cloud-based platform. | 2007 | Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, United States | USD 228.3 M |
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Related news about Firsthand
Complete news archive for Firsthand
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Frequently Asked Questions about Firsthand
Firsthand was founded in 2010 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
Firsthand is headquartered in New York, United States. It is registered at New York, New York, United States.
Firsthand has 150 employees.
Career development is supported by Firsthand through a platform that connects applicants, students, job-seekers, and professionals with mentors, company rankings, job and internship opportunities, exclusive events, and career guides. Services are tailored for career seekers, schools, and employers across various professional fields. Unique resources and insights are provided to level the playing field and empower users from campus to workplace.
Firsthand offers Career Mentorship, Company Rankings & Profiles, Jobs & Internships, Exclusive Events, and Career Guides & Advice.
Firsthand has 2 investors. Key investors include Infobase, and Musha Ventures.
Firsthand operates through Vault.
Yes. Firsthand was acquired by Infobase in January 2021.

