KINGSPORT, TENNESSEE –  Personality Pool, a Kingsport-based technology startup, has been selected by Launch Tennessee’s InvestTN program, which provides access to matching capital for Tennessee-based startups and early-stage businesses. Personality Pool uses advanced software and artificial intelligence to help employers hire talented job seekers using personality traits for on-the-job success.

“For employers, finding the right talent for a job opening can be an expensive and arduous process.” says Lauren Glass Mullins, Founder of Personality Pool, “And unfortunately, the standard practice for hiring directors to identify talent is through endless paper resumes, often leaving great talent unnoticed or with inconclusive information long before the interview process.”

Personality Pool’s technology enables employers to screen candidates early in the hiring process while searching for personality matches first, a key metric needed in industries including sales, customer service, hospitality, healthcare, or call centers.

This innovative approach to hiring also provides a great benefit to job seekers, as it helps convey personality and other characteristics that are often hard to decipher on a paper resume. When a person or recent graduate is entering the workforce, Personality Pool’s technology seeks to support existing job experience or education gaps by helping match personality traits and intrinsic skillsets to job openings.

The technology is designed for entry-level positions or roles where personality matters as much as previous experience. The screening platform enables video interviewing, virtual resume building, and AI-driven speech analytics, along with confidence and personality scoring.

The investment received by Personality Pool represents another success for our local business economy, as private and venture capital has been a historically missing asset for our region’s aspiring talent. Access to capital has forced a lot of young entrepreneurs and potential technology-based companies to move to larger markets such as Atlanta, Nashville, or Washington D.C.

The investment that Personality Pool has received comes from a combination of local, regional, and out-of-state investors who have connected with local entrepreneurs to take advantage of the matching investment provided by the InvestTN program. 

“The investment from Launch Tennessee and the private investors represents the incredibly talented people our region is cultivating,” says Heath Guinn, President of Sync Space, which is Launch Tennessee’s regional partner for northeast Tennessee. “This investment also demonstrates the power of a regional entrepreneurial ecosystem working to help provide access to the resources young companies need to start, grow, and hire within our region.”

Mullins indicated that the investment will be used to continue developing the software and technology product and will also allow the company to build a marketing and customer service team, which she intends to be located in the region.

“As a Kingsport native, it was a high priority to keep Personality Pool based in northeast Tennessee to show that a tech startup could thrive within the region.” continues Mullins, “In the early days of a startup, you’re only as strong as the connections you can make. Sync Space, Launch Tennessee, and the business community have been a catalyst for connecting us with investors and customers that have truly accelerated our early growth.”

“We are very excited for Personality Pool to be named one of the early investments from the InvestTN program,” says Lindsey Cox, CEO of Launch Tennessee. “It’s an ideal example of the power of the Launch Tennessee statewide network and how the InvestTN program is available to the entirety of Tennessee’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.

To learn more about Personality Pool, you can visit personalitypool.com, and for more about the InvestTN program, please visit investtn.org.