Hiring in the construction industry is broken—and Propel People thinks it has the fix. From smart applicant ranking to instant bilingual texting, the platform helps contractors hire faster and with less friction—right from the job site.

Launched from the venture studio at 1848 Ventures, Propel People is a mobile-first hiring platform designed specifically for contractors who need to move fast and hire smarter. With over 94% of contractors struggling to find skilled labor and more than $20 billion lost annually due to labor shortages, the platform tackles a massive pain point across the construction industry.

Propel’s core insight: traditional hiring tools weren’t built for the job site. “Most platforms assume you’re sitting in an office, not standing on a slab trying to fill a crew,” says newly appointed CEO Dexter Bachelder, a construction tech veteran with past leadership at Aconex, Command Alkon, and Togal.AI.

The platform’s ProScore engine automatically ranks candidates, while built-in bilingual two-way texting helps contractors screen and engage with applicants in real time—no desktop required. It’s built for foremen, superintendents, and hiring managers who live in the field, not behind a desk.

Image Credit: Propel People

The early momentum caught the attention of parent company 1848 Ventures, which led a $3 million seed round to help Propel scale. The funding will go toward accelerating product development and expanding into key contractor markets across the U.S.

“Labor is the biggest challenge in the trades right now—and also the biggest opportunity,” says Bachelder. “We’re helping contractors build crews faster, smarter, and with less friction.”

With its AI-native infrastructure and field-tested UX, Propel People is making a bold bet: that the future of trade hiring won’t be built from behind a desk—it’ll be built from the jobsite up.

Learn more at propelpeople.ai