After a decade at Amazon and a floriculture startup, Sergi Bastardas launched Orbio in 2025. The company uses AI agents like Maria, Daniel, and Claire to automate the hiring and onboarding of frontline workers for businesses such as Poke and YUM! Brands.
The $21 million Series A round from Dawn Capital will fuel growth, with a focus on developing more AI agents. Orbio claims that 20% more candidates are now making it through to get hired at The Stepping Stones Group thanks to their technology.
Each agent generates data that feeds back into the system—onboarding signals inform recruitment quality, while exit interviews reveal why employees leave and engagement data identifies retention risks. This process is changing how industries like healthcare, retail, logistics, and hospitality manage their frontline workforces.
Bastardas sees this as a transformation for both businesses and the workforce. 'The 2.7 billion people who keep these sectors running have previously got nothing,' he says, 'this is their AI moment.'
