Three Nigerian founders, Oluwapelumi Dada, David Alade, and Daniel Ajayi, are making global headlines after their AI-powered job-matching app, Sorce, was accepted into Y Combinator’s F25 batch. Dubbed the “Tinder for Jobs,” Sorce is reshaping how job seekers discover and apply for roles by combining automation, personalization, and artificial intelligence.
From MIT Classrooms to Silicon Valley
The idea for Sorce was born out of frustration. As David Alade recalls, the endless loop of repetitive job applications, filling in names, emails, and answering “Why do you want to work here?” repeatedly sparked the need for change.
“It didn’t matter how qualified you were. Finding a job still felt like a full-time job,” Alade wrote on LinkedIn, explaining why he turned down a full-time offer from JP Morgan to build Sorce.
Together with Oluwapelumi Dada, who previously worked at Tesla and Dell, and Daniel Ajayi, a MIT graduate and former engineer at NVIDIA and Citadel, the team decided to tackle one of the world’s most inefficient markets: job applications.
How Sorce Works
Sorce simplifies the entire process. Users upload their résumés, set preferences, and start swiping. When they swipe right on a job, an AI agent automatically completes and applies on their behalf through the company’s website.
In less than a year, the platform has attracted over 500,000 job seekers, with more than 20 million swipes and successful placements at major global firms like SpaceX, Vercel, Robinhood, and Jane Street.
As Dada put it, “We have a track record of achieving the impossible, and we plan to continue doing impossible things.”
Joining the Y Combinator F25 Batch
The startup’s momentum caught the attention of Y Combinator, the world’s most prestigious startup accelerator, known for backing companies like Airbnb, Dropbox, and Stripe.
“Excited to officially announce that Sorce is now backed by Y Combinator,” Dada wrote. “We’re thrilled to be joining the F25 batch and looking forward to an even more exciting future.”
Ajayi echoed that sentiment, noting that the company’s mission has evolved beyond just job discovery.
“Our ambition has grown from building Tinder for Jobs to helping bring liquidity to the job market,” he said. “The job market is one of the most important in the world, yet still one of the most inefficient. Sorce is going to change that.”
He added that Sorce is developing the “SOTA AI Agent” (state-of-the-art) to power digital job applications worldwide, aiming to support every major recruitment platform.
Building a Generational Product
As part of Y Combinator, the founders are now working closely with YC partner David Lieb, who built Google Photos, one of the most transformative consumer apps of the last decade.
Ajayi shared,
“It’s been a pleasure working with him these past few weeks, and I’m looking forward to working with him for the next decade as we build a generational app and company.”
The Bigger Picture
Sorce’s rise isn’t just a tech success story; it’s a milestone for African innovation on the global stage. The startup exemplifies how African founders are exporting ideas, talent, and ambition into Silicon Valley, solving problems that affect millions worldwide.
As Alade puts it, “If you hate Workday as much as I do, you should check out Sorce.”
With their blend of MIT-caliber engineering, African resilience, and YC backing, the Sorce team is on track to redefine how the world finds work one swipe at a time.
