San Francisco-based startup Colare has raised $2.5 million in pre-seed funding round to expand its AI-powered technical assessment platform, which helps companies evaluate engineering candidates through real-world simulations.
The funding round included investments from Afore Capital, Garage Capital and Acadian Ventures. The company plans to use the funds to expand its team and develop assessments for more specialized engineering roles.
Founded in 2025 by Esther Thomas and Nain Abdi, Colare aims to help companies hire engineers by testing their practical skills before the interview stage.
Its platform creates customized technical assessments based on the requirements of a specific role. Candidates complete simulated engineering tasks that reflect real-world challenges, allowing employers to evaluate their problem-solving skills, technical decisions and ability to make trade-offs.
The platform uses AI to assess candidates across disciplines such as computer-aided design (CAD), printed circuit board layouts, thermal analysis and finite element analysis. Its evaluations are based on criteria developed with experienced engineers.
Colare is seeking industries that need specialised technical talent such as aerospace, defence, energy and advanced manufacturing. Such industries often have lengthy hiring processes as assessing engineering candidates takes a lot of time from experienced technical staff.
The company says it can take about 40 hours to hire one engineer without its assessment platform. Colare screens candidates at an earlier stage to save companies time and money by interviewing unsuitable applicants and to help companies make better hiring decisions.
The startup has already been used by organizations ranging from early-stage companies to large aerospace manufacturers and advanced manufacturing businesses.
Colare plans to use the new funding to expand its library of technical assessments to cover more specialized deep-tech fields and develop AI models that can better evaluate how engineers approach unfamiliar technical challenges.
The company aims to help employers prioritize demonstrated skills and practical abilities over resumes and traditional qualifications.
