Call2action.ai — a startup that can conduct 100 interviews simultaneously

Yersultan Jussakinov, city — San Mateo, founder and CEO of Call2action.ai, Instagram, LinkedIn

How It All Started

For the past 10 years, I have been a serial entrepreneur. During this time, I launched various projects and consistently encountered problems with call centers and hiring. When I ran an e-commerce business with more than 30 operators, the recruitment process took too much time and caused significant stress.

Initially, we built a bot to automate the work of call center operators. However, upon entering the US market, we realized that the real pain point for businesses was employee hiring. We then pivoted and focused on creating an AI recruiter.

This is how Call2action.ai was born—a product capable of conducting hundreds of interviews simultaneously, evaluating candidates, and providing recommendations to employers. Today, we help companies save time and money by solving a real business problem.

Startup Launch

In 2022, we started in Kazakhstan by developing a voice bot that helped companies with client calling, surveys, telemarketing, and accounts receivable management. Our clients included major companies such as Kazakhtelecom, QazPost, OLX, and others.

In 2024, while analyzing the US market, we paid attention to the freight and logistics sector. This sector accounts for 30% of the US economy, and truck driving is the most popular profession in the country. However, the industry faces a severe problem: high employee turnover and a constant shortage of drivers create significant difficulties for businesses.

The US freight market volume was estimated at $1.29 trillion in 2024 and is expected to grow to $1.57 trillion by 2029. Seeing these figures and realizing the scale of the problem, we made a pivot.

We completed accelerators at Alchemist X and SVR in Silicon Valley and began developing Call2action.ai—a product that helps American companies automate the hiring process in the freight and logistics sector. This solution significantly reduces the time and costs associated with recruitment, addressing a key industry challenge.

Silkroad Innovation Hub startups pitch their businesses and network at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 29, 2024. Silkroad Innovation Hub supports startups and entrepreneurs from Central Eurasia in discovering avenues to establish or expand their ventures in Silicon Valley and the US market.

Target Audience

Our primary target audience consists of owners of trucking companies and logistics businesses in the US, where high employee turnover among frontline staff is particularly acute. We focus on companies with 100 to 500 employees and an annual turnover rate of 100% or higher.

Only in the US, more than 3.5 million drivers are employed in the freight sector, and the total market includes approximately 711,000 trucking companies. Meanwhile, turnover in the industry often exceeds 100% per year, leading to enormous costs for hiring, training, and onboarding employees.

Call2action.ai helps such businesses automate the hiring process, reducing time-to-fill by up to 100% and lowering hiring costs by up to 150%. Thanks to our product, companies receive a steady stream of qualified candidates, accurate skill assessments, and ready-made recommendations, allowing them to onboard employees faster and reduce losses due to turnover.

Incubation Programs

In the fall of 2023, we participated in the Antler accelerator program, reaching the finals among 100 startups. This experience helped us improve our product, build a strategy, and receive valuable recommendations from experts.

From August to November 2024, we participated in leading accelerator programs in Silicon Valley: Alchemist X and SVR in Palo Alto, California. These programs gave us the opportunity to adapt our product to the demands of the US market, build connections with key players, and gain access to experienced mentors.

And, most pleasantly, we accidentally qualified for the next accelerator program for 2025—In Residence at Moon Creative Lab in Palo Alto. This program is supported by the Mitsui Group and focuses on developing products with global potential.

The startup has been developed through bootstrapping all these years. As a founder, I prefer to invest my own funds, believing that it is better to risk one's own money than investors' money before achieving significant traction. This approach allowed us to focus on growth while maintaining full independence in decision-making.

Challenges

One of the main difficulties was understanding how different the US business environment is from Kazakhstan. For example, 80% of communications here are conducted via email, while messengers are rarely used. Digital advertising costs three times more, and the cost per lead can reach $50–100 due to high competition. At the same time, we cannot set prices higher than our competitors to remain competitive.

The biggest challenge was finding our first customers. In the early stages, we sent over 500 emails and held about 30 meetings before closing our first deals. It was difficult, but it helped us build trust and understand market needs.

My advice to beginners is to test hypotheses quickly. Even if something doesn’t work, it is already a valuable signal from the market. Finding your Product-Market Fit is a process, and mistakes only bring you closer to your goal. Most importantly: be patient and do not be afraid to adapt.

Achievements

Our achievements in the US over three months:

1. We already have three paying clients who actively use our product.

2. Four pilot projects have been launched, including a large trucking company with a fleet of 700 trucks.

3. We are in negotiations with more than 40 potential clients from various US states.

4. We have the support of two angel investors from the US who believe in our product.

5. Two sales managers from Silicon Valley have joined our team, helping to grow the business in the US.

These achievements show that we are moving forward confidently and creating a product that is truly in demand in the US market.

Plans

By the end of 2024, the company plans to sign contracts with several new companies, complete pilot projects, and prepare the platform for scaling. In 2025, the main focus will be on strengthening its position in the US market and optimizing scaling processes. In 2026, expansion into adjacent industries with high employee turnover, such as construction and warehousing, is planned, along with achieving an MRR of more than $200,000. By 2027, the company aims to strengthen its global presence, attract more than 1,000 paying clients, and achieve an MRR of over $1 million. In 2028, the goal is to lead the recruitment market for freight and logistics with more than 2,000 clients and achieve an MRR of more than $2 million, solidifying its status as a leading AI solution for hiring.

We are confident that with our current development pace and the support of our clients and partners, we will be able to achieve these goals and take Call2action.ai to a global level.