Can professional success be predicted? That question was the starting point for candidate select, or case for short. Our founding team of three economists with doctorates researched the transition from university to the labor market long before the company existed.
In 2015 one question became central: Why do university grades say so little about who will succeed on the job? The answer we have backed in more than 30 studies is that grades are not useless by nature, they are useless without context. If you know how demanding a degree program is and where someone stands within their cohort, a CV becomes far more informative. This research project at the University of Bonn became candidate select GmbH, funded by research grants from the Federal Republic of Germany.
From 2020 onward we picked up speed. Investors such as Rolf Schrömgens, Alexander Schröder-Frerkes and Thomas Alt joined. At the same time we won the FAIR project funded by the EU and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia together with the University of Cologne, Deutsche Telekom, Simon Kucher, Viega and Studitemps. The goal was to measure and reduce discrimination in algorithmic selection processes. Beyond the FAIR Index, the project also produced a standalone algorithm for evaluating work experience. Research and practice stayed tightly connected, and the Fachkraft study run by our founding team at Maastricht University is still ongoing today.
In 2022 we opened our algorithms to talent as well: students and graduates have been able to classify themselves for free, see their case score and connect with relevant employers ever since. The talent pool grew quickly and now includes more than 120,000 profiles. Companies reach these talents directly through our platform, by email or at our events. In 2025 the next step followed: with case Talent Gateway we fully automate the preselection of incoming applications.
Today we combine three things that rarely work together in recruiting: a strong candidate experience, real automation and valid diagnostics. Through API integration, case fits seamlessly into existing applicant management systems. Our customers range from consultancies and corporations to universities that use case for master admissions. And we keep publishing, because the questions that started all of this in 2015 are far from answered.