yeliq in the HR Start-up Series
English version below
As part of the SAATKORN HR Start-up Series, I’d like to introduce you to yeliq today. – I had the opportunity to speak with founder Anselm Roger Albrecht Ndoung (pictured here alongside Noelle Marie Dahm from yeliq). Let’s get started:
SAATKORN: Please introduce yourself to SAATKORN readers!
I’m Anselm, founder of yeliq, a SaaS platform that helps hiring managers and executives conduct more targeted interviews. Before the first interview, we highlight which candidates are a good fit for the role, the team and the manager, and where it’s worth probing deeper during the interview. This way, many open-ended conversations are whittled down to a few focused ones. We call it: the interview before the first interview.
SAATKORN: What’s the story behind the founding of yeliq?
As a manager, I’ve built teams myself and filled roles that sometimes attracted over 300 applications. In doing so, two things became clear to me: CVs today often look so similar they’re hard to tell apart – especially with AI – and it’s almost impossible to tell from a CV alone who really fits into the working environment and with me as a manager. The result was a lot of first interviews that ultimately yielded too little. This is precisely the blind spot that yeliq addresses.
SAATKORN: What is your mission – what problem are you aiming to solve?
There’s a gap in the assessment process between the CV and the initial interview. Traditional personality tests and aptitude assessments describe people in general terms, but they say nothing about whether someone can perform effectively in this specific team, with this particular manager and within this working environment. Today, this question is answered during the initial interview, on an individual basis for each candidate. yeliq makes this fit apparent even before the interview, through a structured comparison between candidates, the role context and the manager. This makes interviews more targeted and decisions more transparent.
SAATKORN: What is yeliq’s business model?
We are a self-service SaaS platform. Companies sign up, define their work context in under 60 minutes and can invite the first candidates on the very same day. No implementation project and no preliminary consultancy required. The barrier to entry has been deliberately kept as low as possible so that teams can generate added value straight away. Of course, we also offer connectors to all major ATS platforms. Pricing is based on the roles to be filled, with the option of a one-off payment or a subscription.
SAATKORN: What is your ideal customer profile?
yeliq works virtually anywhere, but we’re currently focusing on two main areas. Firstly, fast-growing start-ups and scale-ups, consultancies, agencies and ambitious medium-sized businesses, where pace and compatibility with leadership style are more decisive for success than purely technical experience. Secondly, HR teams in the enterprise sector who need to fill many roles simultaneously with high volumes of applications and must prioritise early on which candidates are truly worth interviewing.
SAATKORN: In which countries do you offer your products and services?
We are currently focusing on the DACH market, but we are already serving customers in North America as well. The platform is multilingual and can be used in both German and English.
SAATKORN: What is your vision – where do you want to be in three years’ time?
In three years’ time, yeliq should be the standard for how hiring decisions are prepared in the pre-interview phase – as much a given as an ATS is to the process today. In the long term, Work Relationship Intelligence goes beyond hiring: wherever collaboration needs to be consciously shaped.
SAATKORN: If you had three wishes, what would they be?
- That companies would base their hiring decisions more on the real-world work context and less on the linearity of a CV.
- More managers who understand that their own leadership style is one of the most important variables in recruitment.
- That more people end up in work environments where they can truly excel, rather than in roles that look good on paper but tend to cause frustration in day-to-day life.
SAATKORN: How and where can potential clients contact you?
Preferably by email at anselm@yeliq.com, via LinkedIn or directly through our website. Anyone wishing to see a specific use case will also find case studies there featuring companies that use yeliq.
FACTS & FIGURES
Year founded: 2026
Number of employees: 3
Headquarters in: Frankfurt am Main
Funding round: Bootstrapped / self-funded
Website URL: www.yeliq.com
Are YOU a start-up founder too?
And would you like your company to be featured for free in the SAATKORN HR Start-up Series? – Then answer THESE QUESTIONS, include some good images and – if available – a video link, and send the whole thing to hrstartups@saatkorn.com – Important: please do not change the formatting of the questions and return everything as a .doc file – THANK YOU. Your feature will then appear here on the blog, in my newsletter, and you’ll get a free social media boost on top. DEAL?
yeliq in the HR Startup Series
As part of the SAATKORN HR Startup Series, I’d like to introduce you to yeliq today. – Let’s get started:
SAATKORN: Please introduce yourself to SAATKORN readers!
I’m Anselm, founder of yeliq, a SaaS platform that helps hiring managers and executives conduct more targeted interviews. Before the first meeting, we identify which candidates are a good fit for the role, the team and the manager, and where it’s worth digging deeper during the interview. This way, many open-ended conversations are narrowed down to a few focused ones. We call it: The interview before the first interview.
SAATKORN: What’s the story behind yeliq’s founding?
As a leader, I’ve built teams myself and filled roles that sometimes attracted over 300 applications. In doing so, two things became clear to me: CVs today often look strikingly similar—especially with AI—and it’s nearly impossible to tell from a CV who truly fits into the work environment and with me as a leader. The result was many initial interviews that ultimately yielded too little. yeliq addresses precisely this blind spot.
SAATKORN: What is your mission—what problem do you want to solve?
There is a missing evaluative step between the CV and the first interview. Traditional personality tests and aptitude assessments describe people in general terms, but they say nothing about whether someone can perform in this specific team, with this manager, and in this work environment. Today, this question is answered during the initial interview, on a case-by-case basis for each candidate. yeliq makes this fit clear even before the interview, through a structured comparison between candidates, the role context and the manager. This makes interviews more targeted and decisions more transparent.
SAATKORN: What is yeliq’s business model?
We are a self-service SaaS platform. Companies sign up, define their work context in under 60 minutes, and can invite the first candidates on the same day. No implementation project and no prior consultancy is required. The barrier to entry is deliberately kept as low as possible so that teams can generate value immediately. Of course, we also offer connectors to all major ATS platforms. Pricing is based on the roles to be filled, either as a one-off fee or via subscription.
SAATKORN: What is your ideal customer profile?
yeliq works virtually anywhere, but we currently operate primarily in two environments. On the one hand, fast-growing start-ups and scale-ups, consultancies, agencies and ambitious medium-sized companies, where speed and compatibility of leadership styles are more decisive for success than purely technical experience. On the other hand, HR teams in the enterprise sector who need to fill many roles simultaneously whilst dealing with high volumes of applications, and who prioritise early on which candidates are truly worth interviewing.
SAATKORN: In which countries do you offer your products and services?
We are currently focusing on the DACH market, but we already serve customers in North America as well. The platform is multilingual and can be used in both German and English.
SAATKORN: What is your vision—where do you want to be in three years’ time?
In three years’ time, yeliq should be the standard for how hiring decisions are prepared in the pre-interview phase—as natural a part of the process as an ATS is today. In the long term, Work Relationship Intelligence extends beyond recruitment: wherever collaboration needs to be consciously shaped.
SAATKORN: If you had three wishes, what would they be?
- That companies base their hiring decisions more on the real-world work context and less on the linearity of a CV.
- More leaders who understand that their own leadership style is one of the most important factors in recruitment.
- That more people end up in work environments where they can truly perform, rather than in roles that look good on paper but tend to cause frustration in everyday life.
SAATKORN: How and where can potential clients contact you?
Preferably by email at anselm@yeliq.com, via LinkedIn, or directly through our website. Anyone looking for a specific use case will also find case studies there featuring companies that use yeliq.
FACTS & FIGURES
Year founded: 2026
Number of employees: 3
Headquarters: Frankfurt am Main
Funding round: Bootstrapped / self-funded
Website URL: www.yeliq.com
Are YOU a start-up founder?
Would you like your company to be featured for free in the SAATKORN HR Startup Series? – Then answer THESE QUESTIONS, include some good photos and—if available—a video link, and send everything to hrstartups@saatkorn.com – Important: please do not change the formatting of the questions and send everything back as a .doc file, THANK YOU. Your feature will then appear here on the blog, in my newsletter, and you’ll get a free social media boost on top of that. DEAL?