AI platform for frontline workforce ops Firstwork raises $15-M led by Earlybird VC

USA- and Bangalore-based Firstwork has raised USD 15 million in a Series A funding round led by Earlybird Venture Capital, with participation from Legion VC, Deel Ventures, Gradient, and Y Combinator. The transaction brings the total funding raised by the company to USD 20 million since its inception in 2024.Founded in 2024 by Vardhan Kapoor and Shubham Choudhary, Firstwork provides an applied AI platform for frontline workforce operations, functioning as an overlay on existing HR, payroll, and screening systems to automate tasks such as document verification, background checks, training coordination, onboarding, and compliance. The firm claims to facilitate the onboarding of over 150,000 frontline workers each month and serves clients including Deel, Job&Talent, Relay, Wonolo, and BGSF.The company intends to use the new funds to expand its operations in the US and Europe, grow its teams across AI research, engineering, and go-to-market functions, and extend its AI agents into additional frontline workforce operational areas.