Portfolio Success: How Gem Achieved 11x Revenue Growth Through Practical AI

We're thrilled to highlight the exceptional growth of Gem, one of our portfolio companies that has achieved 11x revenue growth by focusing on practical AI solutions that solve real recruiting challenges.

The Power of Practical AI

While many companies chase flashy AI features, Gem took a different approach: they focused on solving long-standing recruiting problems with AI as an enhancement tool, not the primary value proposition.

Impressive Results

The Winning Strategy

Gem's success stems from three key principles:

1. Deep Market Understanding

The team invested heavily in understanding the real pain points recruiters face daily, rather than assuming what they needed.

2. Solid Execution

They built robust, reliable solutions that work consistently across different use cases and company sizes.

3. AI Enhancement

Instead of building AI-first features, they used AI to enhance processes that were already effective, such as:

• Candidate matching to surface qualified candidates more effectively
• Interview coordination across multiple time zones and schedules
• Process optimization to eliminate manual, repetitive tasks

Key Lessons for Investors

Gem's trajectory validates several important investment principles:

• Problem-first approach beats technology-first approach
• Market understanding is more valuable than cutting-edge technology alone
• Practical AI applications drive sustainable business results
• User adoption metrics are leading indicators of revenue growth

The Access Fund Insight

As Benjamin Bryant, our Managing Partner, noted: "Success comes from deep market understanding, solid execution, and using AI to enhance what already works, rather than relying on AI alone."

This philosophy guides our investment decisions and helps us identify companies like Gem that are positioned for sustainable, long-term growth.

Looking Ahead

Gem's success demonstrates the massive opportunity in practical AI applications. As they continue to expand their platform and serve more recruiting teams, we expect to see continued strong performance.