Meet Charlotte Lucy Hall, Co-Founder and CMO of Zinc

Tell us about Zinc

 

Zinc is a candidate-focused, tech-powered solution that revolutionises the background-checking process. What makes Zinc truly stand out – and a game-changer – is our dedication to turning a traditionally frustrating process into one that’s quick, transparent, and empowering for all parties involved. In an environment where hiring delays can cost businesses both time and top talent, we believe technology is key to giving HR and talent professionals back what they value most: their time.

Our intuitive solution is tailored to each customer, who range from early-stage startups to global enterprises. No matter the size of the customer, we are always set on easing the workload of HR teams, and any potential stress that new hires may face when it comes to background checks. At a time when HR teams are already facing pressures driven by company-wide return-to-office mandates, it’s important that they are relieved of admin-heavy tasks that can take weeks or months to complete. Our product’s intuitive design has helped us to reach a broad range of businesses across the UK and globally, and we’re excited to keep growing in this way.

 

 

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

 

My partner in business and life, Luke, and I both come from backgrounds in recruitment. This exposed us to the unique challenges of background checking, an industry notorious for inefficiency, bias and lack of transparency. These outdated processes stand in stark contrast to our tech-driven world, and we seized the opportunity to close this gap, hoping to make the lives of HR teams a little easier with our solution.

We were also inspired by entrepreneurial friends who pushed us to take the plunge. My time as one of the first employees at Superscript gave me valuable insight into building a business from scratch, and Luke brings his own entrepreneurial background, having grown three startups and appeared on Dragons’ Den. It’s an exciting journey, though not without its challenges, but the rewards are well worth it.

 

 

What is your advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

 

Always be prepared for how challenging fundraising truly is. This is such a critical moment for founders, that often determines how the world will perceive you and your business for the years to come. Our journey was especially challenging. We started reaching out during an economic downturn, right when the tech bubble burst and SVB collapsed. With valuations plummeting and investors becoming more cautious, as first-time founders looking for Series A funding, we encountered major obstacles, which were further complicated by a more rigorous due diligence process.

On a personal level, Luke and I were expecting our first child after a difficult fertility journey, and moving into a new home. It was certainly a challenge to present our best selves to investors, who were already wary due to our lack of traditional credentials – neither of us went to Oxbridge, nor worked at a FANG company. Then there was the added stressor of deciding when to tell investors of my pregnancy.

Looking back, it was such a valuable experience as it taught me the importance of strength and perseverance. Despite the setbacks, we pushed forward and succeeded, but I would advise against taking all the major life challenges at once!

 

What most excites you about Zinc?

 

The pace of it all and our fast-growing, close knit team. Of course, startups are known for our dynamism, but to be in the middle of it and watching Zinc grow is so exciting! Luke and I have built a culture where we truly trust and empower our team to back themselves as subject-matter experts, and use their skills to work together to solve exciting and unique challenges.

It is so important for our people to be encouraged to try new things, feel comfortable with failures and learnings, and have creative direction over their own roles. The fact that we’ve built a company where people bring their best selves to work everyday is something that I will always be proud of and excited for.

 

How has the company evolved over the last couple of years?

 

Zinc began in a small flat in South East London, where Luke and I teamed up to bring our vision to life. With Luke’s background as a former recruiter and aspiring engineer, we spent our evenings and weekends in 2018 building the first versions of Zinc.

Zinc has evolved in ways we couldn’t have imagined since those evenings. We initially set out to simplify the traditional referencing process, but quickly realised there were bigger challenges within the background-checking sector, and HR more widely, that needed tackling.

In 2021, we secured seed funding from Seedcamp, which helped accelerate our growth and refine our product. This led to us raising £5M in a Series A round led by AVP in 2023, further fuelling our expansion and ongoing innovation.

 

What can we hope to see from Zinc in the future?

 

Looking forward, we at Zinc are dedicated to continuing to transform the background-checking industry across sectors. Maintaining a strong connection with our customers through continuous feedback is key to making sure we keep developing a product that genuinely simplifies life for both customers and candidates. We are committed to further revolutionising the world of background checking, the focus for the year is to increase brand awareness so more people recognise who Zinc are and the value we bring to our customers. On top of this, we’re looking to almost double our team in 2025 to support our growing ambitions.