San Francisco-based startup Colare has raised $2.5 million in a pre-seed funding round backed by Afore Capital, Garage Capital and Acadian Ventures. The company announced the financing on October 26, 2026, alongside the public launch of its simulation-based technical assessment platform for hardware engineering recruitment.
Co-founded by Esther Thomas and Nain Abdi, who serve as co-CEOs, Colare develops software that enables employers to assess engineering candidates through practical simulations before conducting technical interviews.
The platform is designed for companies hiring mechanical, electrical, embedded systems and other specialised hardware engineers. It converts job requirements into technical assessments covering computer-aided design (CAD), printed circuit board (PCB) design, thermal analysis, finite element analysis (FEA) and systems problem-solving.
Rather than relying exclusively on résumés and conventional interviews, Colare allows hiring teams to evaluate how candidates approach engineering problems and the quality of their completed work. Its platform assesses candidates against evaluation criteria developed with experienced engineers and generates structured assessment reports to support recruitment decisions. It also provides scheduling and hiring workflow tools.
Colare primarily serves hardware-intensive industries, including aerospace, defence, energy and advanced manufacturing. According to the company, its customers range from early-stage startups to large aerospace manufacturers, with approximately half of its clients operating in aerospace and defence.
The company plans to use the pre-seed funding to scale its simulation-based hiring platform and expand its capabilities for evaluating engineering talent across technical disciplines.
