Wednesday, 28 January 2026 10:00 AM
Mergers and Acquisitions
Second Strategic Acquisition Advances Vision to Consolidate Talent Acquisition Technology and Expertise
BROOKLYN, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 28, 2026 / Fonzi AI, the talent marketplace for hiring elite engineers, today announced the acquisition of Cook'd, an AI-native applicant tracking system built specifically for engineering hiring. This is Fonzi's second acquisition, following the purchase of boutique recruiting firm BKB Talent in June 2025.
Cook'd helps companies find great engineers by evaluating what candidates have actually built. The platform pulls data from LinkedIn, GitHub, and other sources to screen candidates based on real technical ability, startup experience, and the quality of products they've shipped.
"We met Ali and Seb because they were the only other founders in our coworking space who were regularly grinding past midnight," said Brett Martin, co-founder of Fonzi. "We quickly realized we had the same goal. Companies shouldn't need five different tools to hire one engineer. Cook'd nailed the screening piece like nobody else. Combined with the best talent marketplace for elite engineers, we can really give companies something that works end-to-end."
"We've always believed the answer is building systems that understand real technical ability," said Ali Alobaidi, co-founder of Cook'd. "What excited us about joining Fonzi is that we're not just another tool in the stack anymore. We're part of something that solves the full problem for companies hiring the best engineers."
The acquisition brings together Cook'd's screening technology and Fonzi's marketplace and best-in-class matching infrastructure. Companies can now access technical candidate screening, receive highly accurate matching recommendations, and get hands-on human recruiting support through a single platform.
Cook'd allows companies to set up engineering roles in under two minutes, automatically posts to major job boards, and screens candidates based on factors like GitHub activity, company background, and real technical experience rather than resume keywords.
For more information about the acquisition and what it means for companies and candidates, read our full announcement.
About Fonzi
Fonzi connects companies with qualified engineering candidates through AI-powered matching and integration with their favorite ATS. Launched in June 2025, Fonzi combines marketplace technology, recruiting expertise, and purpose-built screening tools to help companies hire elite technical talent faster.
About Cook'd
Cook'd is an applicant tracking system built specifically for engineering hiring. The platform uses AI to evaluate candidates based on real technical ability and experience, helping companies identify the right engineers without manual screening or keyword filtering.
Contact [email protected] for more information.
SOURCE: Fonzi AI