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joinhandshake.com

16 technologies
VerifiedGrowingVisit11.8M/mo$210M1.0K16 Tech25 Leads
Deep Dive

Handshake: The $434M Bet on a New Career Platform

Disrupting the $20B student recruitment industry with a data-first approach

While LinkedIn dominates professional networking for experienced professionals, a $434M-funded challenger is quietly building the definitive career launchpad for the next generation. Handshake isn't just another job board—it's a closed-loop ecosystem designed for the digital native workforce.

11.8M
monthly visits
Top 3K
global rank
68%
direct traffic
$434M
total funding

"The most powerful signal in recruitment isn't where you've worked—it's where you're going to work next."

The University-First Strategy

Handshake's 11.8M monthly visits reveal a massive captive audience: 68% arrive directly, not through search. This isn't organic discovery—it's institutional adoption. With 1,047 employees and deep university partnerships, they've embedded themselves as the default career services platform across 1,200+ campuses. The 95.9% traffic concentration in a single region (likely North America) confirms their strategy: dominate the US college market before expanding globally.

The Data Moat

With 18.4M backlinks and 26% organic search traffic, Handshake's SEO isn't accidental. The keyword 'handshake' alone drives 896K monthly searches. But the real insight lies in 'handshake AI' (92K searches)—candidates aren't just looking for jobs; they're seeking intelligent career guidance. This positions Handshake not as a passive marketplace, but as an active AI-powered career advisor, a narrative their $434M war chest will amplify.

The tech stack reveals a modern, scalable architecture: Next.js for performance, Tailwind for rapid iteration, and shadcn/ui for consistent design. But the real technical moat isn't visible—it's the data pipeline processing millions of student profiles, employer interactions, and success metrics. This data flywheel is what transforms Handshake from a simple job board into a predictive matching engine.

  • Institutional moat: 1,200+ university partnerships create network effects
  • Data advantage: 18.4M backlinks and 11.8M monthly visits generate unmatched signal
  • AI differentiation: 92K monthly searches for 'handshake AI' show market demand
  • Revenue model: $209.6M revenue suggests strong employer subscription pricing
Doesn't compete with LinkedIn's global professional network
Owning the college-to-career transition with institutional lock-in
Limited international footprint (95.9% traffic in one region)
Building AI-native features for the digital-native generation
Low Trustpilot rating (2.6/5) suggests user experience challenges
Creating a closed-loop system where universities, students, and employers all benefit

The Billion-Dollar Question

Handshake's path to $1B+ valuation isn't about beating LinkedIn—it's about owning the $20B student recruitment market before candidates even graduate. With $434M raised and strong institutional partnerships, they're betting that career services departments will remain relevant in the digital age. The bet is paying off: 11.8M monthly visits and $209.6M in revenue prove the model works. Now the challenge is scaling beyond North America while maintaining the university-first moat that makes them unique.

What tech stack does Joinhandshake use?

16 detected
Authentication1
Security1
Cloud & Hosting1
Marketing Automation1
Analytics & Marketing1
Web Standards2
Build Tools1
UI Libraries2
Frontend Frameworks1

How much traffic does Joinhandshake get?

Traffic & Engagement

11.2M
Monthly Visits
+10.7%
8.3
Pages/Visit
10:23
Avg. Duration
34%
Bounce Rate
Monthly Traffic Trend-18%
13.8M
Oct 2025
Oct
10.1M
Nov 2025
Nov
11.2M
Dec 2025
Dec

Rankings

#5,008
Global Rank
#1,101
United States Rank
Education
Category

Backlinks & Authority

18.4M
Backlinks
17.9K
Ref. Domains
65
Authority Score
Low
Penalty Risk
Backlinks Trend+9%
16.8M
Jul 2025
Jul
17.4M
Aug 2025
Aug
17.8M
Sep 2025
Sep
18.3M
Oct 2025
Oct
18.5M
Nov 2025
Nov
18.4M
Dec 2025
Dec

Search Traffic

Organic
1.2M
Paid
13.0K

Top Organic Keywords

#1handshake
673,000 vol55.0%
#1handshake login
33,100 vol2.7%
#1handhsake
12,100 vol1.0%
#1handshale
9,900 vol0.8%
#1soft skills
49,500 vol0.7%

Where is Joinhandshake's audience located?

🇺🇸United States92.5%
🇰🇪Ke2.3%
🇮🇳India1.0%
🇨🇦Canada0.5%
🇩🇪Germany0.4%

Device Distribution

Desktop74.4%
Mobile25.6%

What keywords does Joinhandshake rank for?

5 keywords
1handshake896.3K vol$4.28
2handshake ai92.2K vol$1.55
3handshake login16.5K vol$5.18
4handhsake13.2K vol$4.61
5handshale8.6K vol$4.61

What is Joinhandshake's revenue?

$210M
Annual Revenue
1,047
27%
Employees
$200K
Revenue/Employee
$434M
Total Funding
$3.5B
Valuation
#1,431
Growjo Rank
EdTech
San Francisco, United States
Headquarters

Who works at Joinhandshake?

Loading leads...

What do customers think of Joinhandshake?

Handshake

Handshake

2.6
8 reviews
✓ Claimed

Categories

Recruiter#undefinedEducational Institution#undefinedRecruitment Service#undefinedCareer Coach#undefinedEducational Consultant#undefined

Activity & Engagement

Reply Rate
0%
Avg. Reply Time
0.0 days
Claimed Date
9/3/2025

Contact Information

Address:
GB

Reviews (8)

Filter by rating:
Barbara DeffnerVerified
12/27/2025
🇺🇸 United States3 reviewsOrganicUnverified
Experience date: 12/26/2025
OUTSTANDING STAFF

I still freelance with them. They are kind, helpful and understanding. I am always paid on time, and I'm paid very well. It's too bad that those who had a bad experience couldn't find a better way than to slam them. They are hardworking, very intelligent group. and I like them so much I wanted to praise them for their role, their job, their kindness..... JOB VERY WELL DONE!

Elena Holman Gomez
12/24/2025
🇺🇸 United States1 reviewsOrganicUnverified
Experience date: 12/23/2025
Scam

They monitor your tabs so even switching to YouTube Music to select a song will get your earnings wiped the day before payday. They advertise a flexible, remote job and yet their website is riddled with bugs. I did several hours of work and was never paid.

soulaymane loukili
12/19/2025
🇪🇸 Spain3 reviewsOrganicUnverified
Experience date: 10/8/2025
Accepted work, then blocked contract/payment — looks sloppy and shady

Handshake allowed me to complete a task that was accepted, and then blocked the only step that matters: contract/payment onboarding. I was directed to a project (after being contacted on LinkedIn), did the work, submitted it, got accepted — and when I tried to continue to get paid and access more tasks, I hit an error. Only then did it become clear there was a USA-only contracting restriction that wasn’t made obvious upfront. This is unacceptable platform hygiene. Eligibility restrictions should be displayed loudly before anyone starts, and the system should prevent submissions from people who can’t legally/technically be onboarded. The end result: wasted time, frustration, and a process that looks legit until it doesn’t. Trust is everything for gig/work platforms, and this experience seriously damaged it.

👍 1
Buddy Weiser
11/5/2025
🇺🇸 United States9 reviewsOrganicUnverified
Experience date: 11/5/2025
Published a job opportunity entry level…

Published a job opportunity entry level Bookkeeeping.Terrible response from candidates most were clearly were not qualified. Most applicants were more concerned about pronouns then a career! Handshake made it next to impossible to cancell the service! Kept on billing! Had to dispute charges and lock credit card used for there service!

M.
9/13/2025
🇬🇧 United Kingdom1 reviewsOrganicUnverified
Experience date: 9/12/2025
Handshake is one of the worst platforms…

Handshake is one of the worst platforms I have ever been forced to engage with. It is marketed to students and graduates as a career tool, yet in reality, it functions as a data trap that makes it exceedingly difficult for users to control or delete their personal information. From a GDPR perspective, this company is a disaster. The right to erasure is a fundamental principle of data protection law, yet Handshake goes out of its way to obscure, delay, and complicate this process. Rather than providing a clear, straightforward means of deleting an account and personal data, they bury users in circular help pages, vague instructions, and unresponsive support. This is not a minor inconvenience—it is a blatant disregard for legal requirements and user rights. The result is that individuals are left in limbo, with sensitive data sitting indefinitely on a system they no longer wish to be part of. For a company operating across Europe and the UK, this behaviour is inexcusable and potentially unlawful. It demonstrates either wilful negligence or outright contempt for the GDPR framework. Beyond the privacy failures, the platform itself is clunky, unhelpful, and riddled with poor design choices. Instead of empowering students, it locks them into a system that primarily benefits institutions and recruiters, not the individuals whose data fuels it.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joinhandshake

What is Joinhandshake's Revenue?
Joinhandshake generates approximately $210M in annual revenue. With 1,047 employees, that's $200,200 per employee. The company has raised $434M in total funding.
How fast is Joinhandshake growing?
Joinhandshake has grown by 10.7% in the last 6 months according to traffic data. employee count has changed by 27% year over year.
How do people interact with Joinhandshake?
When visiting Joinhandshake, visitors view an average of 8.3 pages per visit, and spend around 10:23 on the site, and the bounce rate is 33.5%.
How do people find Joinhandshake?
10.0M people (89%) visit Joinhandshake directly. 1.2M (11%) find them through organic search. 13.0K (0%) come through paid advertising.
Who uses Joinhandshake?
Joinhandshake's top market is United States with 10.4M visitors (92.5%). Kenya is 2nd with 261.8K (2.3%). India is 3rd with 112.4K (1.0%).
What technologies does Joinhandshake use?
Joinhandshake uses 16 technologies across their website including Fonts, Authentication, Security. Key technologies include Font Awesome, Okta, HSTS.
Who are Joinhandshake's competitors?
Joinhandshake's main competitors include Faire, Indeed, WayUp, Talent Fusion by Monster, Glassdoor. These companies operate in similar markets and compete for the same customer base.
What do customers think of Joinhandshake?
Joinhandshake has a Trustpilot score of 2.6 out of 5 (2 stars) based on 8 customer reviews.

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About joinhandshake.com

Company Overview

joinhandshake.com
Website
science_and_education
Industry
#2,980
Global Rank
11.8M
Monthly Visitors
16
Technologies
25+
Employees

Technology Stack

joinhandshake.com uses 16 technologies across their website including Font Awesome, Okta, HSTS, and more.

Fonts

Font Awesome

Authentication

Okta

Security

HSTS

Cloud & Hosting

Vercel

Marketing Automation

Marketo

Analytics & Marketing

Google Tag Manager

Traffic & Audience

11.8M
Monthly Visits
28%
Bounce Rate
9.3
Pages/Visit
6:32
Avg. Duration

joinhandshake.com receives approximately 11.8M monthly visitors and ranks #2,980 globally. The website has a bounce rate of 28% with visitors viewing an average of 9.3 pages per visit. Users spend an average of 6:32 on the site.

The majority of joinhandshake.com's traffic comes from undefined, undefined, .

Frequently Asked Questions

What is joinhandshake.com?
joinhandshake.com is a website that you can visit at https://joinhandshake.com. Use TechList.ai to discover the technologies, analytics, and company information about joinhandshake.com.
What technologies does joinhandshake.com use?
joinhandshake.com uses 16 technologies including Font Awesome, Okta, and 10 more. View the full tech stack analysis above.
How popular is joinhandshake.com?
joinhandshake.com receives approximately 11.8M monthly visitors and ranks #2,980 globally. Traffic is growing by 4.6% month-over-month.

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This page provides publicly available information about joinhandshake.com. Data is collected from various public sources and may not always be up to date. For the most accurate information, please visit joinhandshake.com directly at https://joinhandshake.com.