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REFER
REFER was founded by Andre Hamra and Davi Reis, who met as engineers before Hamra earned his Stanford MBA. The firm is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, with an...
REFER
REFER was founded by Andre Hamra and Davi Reis, who met as engineers before Hamra earned his Stanford MBA. The firm is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, with an operational presence in Palo Alto. Its core product is an AI agent named Lia that a candidate trains on their own skills and ambitions; Lia then identifies matching roles across a network of more than 2,000 partner companies and facilitates direct introductions to hiring managers. The firm functions as a talent marketplace that inverts the traditional recruiter relationship. Lia operates on a career-agent model, targeting mid-to-senior roles at technology companies. Unlike a job board that surfaces listings, REFER's system actively mines its partner network for opportunities that fit a specific candidate. The network spans large technology employers and venture-backed startups across North America and Brazil. Venture backers include Stanford GSB Impact Fund, J4 Ventures, Norte Ventures, and Valutia. REFER has not disclosed headcount or total capital raised. Forbes named Hamra to its 30 Under 30 list in 2026, recognizing the company's traction. The platform’s Palo Alto location serves as its US commercial hub, while engineering and operations remain anchored in Rio de Janeiro. No adjacent philanthropic vehicles or investment arms have been announced. REFER’s structural distinction is that its AI does not represent the employer’s interest. The customer is the professional, and Lia’s mandate is to find that person a job, not to fill a requisition. This reverses the incentives of every major recruiting platform.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
2022
Location
Region
Latin America
Country
Brazil
City
Rio de Janeiro
Corporate office
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Additional offices
Palo Alto, CA, United States
Principals
Andre Hamra
Founder and CEO
Davi Reis
Co-Founder and CTO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at REFER?
REFER is a venture-backed technology company, not an investment firm. Capital allocation and strategic decisions are led by Founder and CEO Andre Hamra alongside Co-Founder and CTO Davi Reis, with input from the board. The firm has raised venture funding from Stanford GSB Impact Fund, J4 Ventures, Norte Ventures, and Valutia, but it does not manage external capital.
How does REFER source its business?
REFER's business is candidate-led. Professionals train Lia, the firm's AI agent, on their skills and career goals, and the agent then searches across a network of more than 2,000 partner companies for matching roles. Lia facilitates a direct introduction to a hiring manager. The company does not scrape job boards or operate a traditional applicant tracking system.
Is REFER a recruiting firm or a technology platform?
REFER is a technology platform that operates an AI career agent. It does not charge companies a placement fee in the traditional recruitment-agency model. Instead, the agent works directly for the candidate, making introductions to companies that have already agreed to receive pre-vetted prospects through the platform.
Which markets does REFER serve?
REFER's network of partner companies is concentrated in North America and Brazil, consistent with its dual headquarters in Rio de Janeiro and Palo Alto. The firm targets technology-first employers, from large public companies to venture-backed startups, though it has not published a full list of the 2,000-plus firms in its network.
What is REFER's relationship with Stanford?
The Stanford Graduate School of Business Impact Fund is an early-stage investor in REFER. Founder Andre Hamra is a Stanford MBA alumnus. The fund's backing is a venture investment, not an academic partnership, and REFER operates as an independent, for-profit company.
Does REFER operate philanthropic or non-commercial hiring programs?
No. REFER has not disclosed any philanthropic hiring programs or a separate non-commercial entity. The firm appears to operate solely as a for-profit technology company connecting professionals with commercial employers.
What does REFER's AI agent actually do?
Lia, the AI agent, ingests a candidate's self-described skills, experience, and preferences. It then matches that profile against live opportunities within REFER's partner-company network and initiates a direct introduction to a decision-maker when both sides signal interest. The firm states that Lia's matching logic is designed to prioritize the candidate's stated ambitions over the employer's job description.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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