There's something fundamentally wrong with how the world matches people to their work. And it's been this way for so long that we've accepted it as normal.
The system wasn't built for you
Think about the last time you looked for a job. You probably spent hours scrolling through listings, trying to decode what companies actually want versus what they say they want. You tailored your resume, wrote cover letters that felt hollow, and waited—hoping someone would see past the keywords to understand who you really are.
Now think about the recruiter on the other side. They're incentivized to close roles quickly, not to find the perfect match. They're paid when positions are filled, not when people thrive. The faster they move, the more they earn.
No one is truly representing you. No one is taking the time to understand what you actually care about—your values, your ambitions, the kind of environment where you do your best work. The system treats you as a resume, a set of keywords, a checkbox to be matched.
Misaligned incentives create misaligned outcomes
The traditional recruiting model is built on a fundamental conflict of interest. Recruiters are paid to fill seats, not to ensure lasting success. Companies are pressured to hire fast, not hire right. And candidates? They're left navigating a process that was never designed with their interests in mind.
The result? People end up in roles that look good on paper but feel wrong in practice. Companies hire talent that checks boxes but doesn't fit their culture. Everyone loses—except the system that profits from the churn.
“The best work happens when people find roles that feel like they were made for them—not roles they have to contort themselves to fit.”
What if AI could represent you?
We believe this can be transformed. Not with another job board. Not with better filters or smarter keyword matching. But with AI that actually represents each party's true interests.
Imagine an AI that takes the time to truly understand you. Not just your skills and experience, but your values, your working style, what energizes you and what drains you. An AI that has no time constraints, that can work around the clock, that can learn everything about you and everything about every opportunity out there.
An AI that represents you—not the company paying for the placement, not the recruiter trying to hit their quota. An advocate that goes as deep as needed to ensure the fit is right.
And on the other side, an AI that truly understands what companies need. Not just the job description, but the culture, the team dynamics, the unwritten requirements that determine whether someone will succeed.
Finding work that feels like destiny
We're building Forward because we believe everyone deserves to find work that doesn't feel like work. Roles where Monday mornings feel like opportunities, not obligations. Teams where you're not just employed, but truly belong.
This isn't about making hiring faster. It's about making it right. It's about creating a world where the match between people and their work is so precise that it feels almost inevitable—like you were always meant to be there.
For candidates, this means finding roles where you can do the best work of your life. For companies, this means finding people who don't just fill a position, but elevate your entire team.
Join us in building something different
We're not just building a product. We're building a new paradigm for how people find meaningful work. One where technology serves humans, not the other way around. One where the incentives finally align with what matters: people finding their place in the world.
The future of work isn't about working more. It's about working right. And it starts with finding the right match.
— The Forward Team
San Francisco, 2026