Handshake

Handshake is an American employment platform that connects college students and young alumni with job and internship opportunities. Launched in 2014 by three computer science students from Michigan Tech, Handshake aims to bridge the opportunity gap for students from smaller schools. The platform has grown significantly, partnering with 1,200 institutions and supporting 550,000 companies. Handshake operates as a subscription-based service for universities and recruiters, allowing students and alumni to create profiles and receive personalized job recommendations at no cost. Recruiters can post job listings and internships tailored to specific schools. The platform also produces annual job trend reports based on user surveys, helping organizations refine their hiring strategies. As of February 2024, Handshake is headquartered in San Francisco and employs approximately 725 people.

See Handshake salariesSalaries39 open jobs39 jobs
Information Technology & Services San Francisco, United States Founded 2014 ~739 employees Private · Series F

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Employees
739
+1.2% in the 3 months to Jun 2025
Revenue / employee
$379K
Revenue ~$280M
Total funding
$514M
Last round Series F, Jan 2022
12-month attrition
31.7%
Tech: 19.3%
H1B sponsor
NA
Open jobs
39
Last 30 days

Headcount trend

Handshake went from 627 employees in Jul 2023 to 739 in Jun 2025. Jan to Jun 2025: 295 people joined, 134 left.

Headcount data through Jun 2025

Org structure

Headcount by department

Other295
Engineering186
Success60
Sales54
Operations40
Marketing35
HR26
Design19

Hiring now

See all jobs
Strategic Account ExecutiveRemote (USA) $275k - $300k 23 hours agoDirector of Communications, CareersSan Francisco, CA $192k - $255k 1 day agoSenior Software Engineer, GrowthSan Francisco, CA $225k - $250k 2 days agoSenior Software Engineer, CodingIndia $360k 2 days agoSeattle Site LeadSeattle, WA $153k - $180k 4 days agoPrivacy AssociateSan Francisco, CA $120k - $149k 7 days agoDirector, Product MarketingSan Francisco, CA $196k - $245k 1 week agoAI Product CounselSan Francisco, CA $216k - $345k 1 week agoSenior RecruiterSan Francisco, CA $150k - $200k 1 week agoStaff Product Designer (Visual Design & Systems), Autonomous RecruitingSan Francisco, CA $225k - $250k 1 week agoSoftware Engineer II, Reinforcement Learning EnvironmentsIndia $360k 1 week agoMember of Technical Staff, Coding AgentsSan Francisco, CA $270k - $350k 2 weeks ago

Salaries at Handshake

All salaries

45 salary profiles in the US

Most reported roles

Software Engineer salariesSoftware Engineering Manager salariesData Scientist salariesProduct Designer salaries

Pay by level, gender and ethnicity

Layoffs

Details

No layoffs reported in the last 12 months.

  • Oct 2025 · 100 roles (~15%) · San Francisco, United States

See companies that haven't had layoffs

Funding

  • Jan 2022 · Series F · $200M · Base10 Partners, Coatue Management, Valiant Peregrine Fund
  • May 2021 · Series E · $80M · Lightspeed Venture Partners, Notable Capital, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
  • Oct 2020 · Series D · $80M · Lightspeed Venture Partners, Notable Capital, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
  • Nov 2019 · $80M · True Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Niantic
  • Oct 2018 · Series C · $40M · Lightspeed Venture Partners, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, True Ventures
  • Nov 2016 · Series B · $20M · Lightspeed Venture Partners, True Ventures, Kleiner Perkins
  • Feb 2016 · Series A · $10.5M · Lightspeed Venture Partners, GSV, Charlie Cheever
  • Mar 2015 · Seed · $3.5M · Lightspeed Venture Partners, Charlie Cheever, True Ventures

Peer reviews

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Anonymous peer reviews on OffTheRecord

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Handshake FAQ

How many employees does Handshake have?

Handshake has about 739 employees, up 1.2% over the 3 months to Jun 2025.

Has Handshake had layoffs in 2026?

No layoffs at Handshake have been reported in 2026 so far. The most recent reported layoff affected 100 employees on Oct 14, 2025.

What is Handshake's revenue per employee?

Handshake makes about $379K in revenue per employee, based on $280M annual revenue and 739 employees.

How much does Handshake pay?

6figr has 45 salary profiles for Handshake in the US, with pay broken down by role, level, gender and ethnicity on the Handshake salaries page. See Handshake salaries

How much funding has Handshake raised?

Handshake has raised $514M in total funding; its latest round was Series F in Jan 2022.

Data from Company Prospectus, DOL LCA disclosures, WARN notices and 6figr salary profiles.