Werk raised $1.3 million in a pre-seed round led by Change Ventures.

Werk, a Tallinn, Estonia-based software startup building a hiring and relocation marketplace for skilled migrant construction workers, announced closing a pre-seed funding round at $1.3 million.

The money was raised from investors led by Change Ventures, joined by Foundamental VC and angel investors Anthony Danon and Carmen Alfonso-Rico aka Cocoa VC, Declan Kelly, Gonzalo Manrique, and Andreas Klinger.

The proceeds will be used for expansion and hiring more people.

Werk, founded in 2020 by CEO Martin Kalamees, Marion Kallakas and Markus Tarn, developed a digital platform that connects construction companies with skilled and vetted migrant workers, handling everything from recruitment, verification, and relocation. The company has customers in Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark and says it only works with companies that guarantee they will provide workers with the same payment terms, treatment, and protection conditions as they would if they were a local. For contractors, once they input the skills they require on-site, the platform uses AI to match them with suitable, high-skilled workers who have been vetted by industry experts. Once the worker has been hired, Werk handles HR and payroll too.