Pesto Tech

Pesto Tech operates a remote-developer hiring platform that positions itself as an "AI recruiter." Companies answer five questions about their requirements, book a call, and receive a curated shortlist of pre-vetted developers (the site variously describes the top 4 and the top 10 matches) to interview. Developers are screened by an AI tool on quality-based parameters such as code quality, code accuracy, performance and security, data modelling, design patterns and language proficiency, and are then pre-interviewed and shortlisted by Pesto's senior developers; the company describes a vetting process that filters out 99% of applicants. Candidates are presented through a structured profile covering repositories, projects, tech stack, assessment score and experience.

Beyond matching, Pesto handles the employment layer: pre-negotiated salaries, global HR and compliance paperwork, payroll, health insurance logistics and work-from-home setup. Engagements can be full-time permanent or contract, for any duration. The company claims recruitment time reductions of nine weeks and hiring cost savings of up to 87%.

On the supply side, Pesto runs the Pesto Fellowship, a 10-month paid coaching program for developers with at least one year of professional experience. It includes 150+ hours of instructor-led live classes, 150+ hours of assignment practice, 50+ hours of one-on-one mentorship (about 90 minutes weekly with a coach), a curriculum spanning web fundamentals, data structures and algorithms, React/Redux/Jest and Node.js/DBMS/system design, side-project work, 8+ mock interviews, career coaching, tool discounts and community access. The program is offered with a two-week trial and a 14-day money-back option. Inc42 categorises the company under enterprise tech/edtech and describes it as having initially focused on equipping Indian software developers with skills for international job opportunities before refocusing.

Founding story

Co-founder Ayush Jaiswal taught himself graphic design and coding, entered an engineering college in Delhi where he started his first venture, then dropped out to pursue entrepreneurship full time, founding a series of startups while working as a digital nomad before Pesto. Inc42 dates the company's founding to 2018 and names Andrew Linfoot, Ayush Jaiswal and Rahul Jaimini as founders.

Business model

Two-sided: Pesto vets and coaches developers and places them with employer clients, acting as the contracting and compliance layer for the resulting hires while also selling paid coaching to developers.

For employers, no upfront recruiting or contractual fees; Pesto charges only after a hire is made, on a recurring month-to-month basis. For developers, the fellowship is sold as a one-time program fee of about ₹1.8 lakh inclusive of taxes, payable in flexible EMIs starting at ₹7,500 per month, with a 14-day money-back option and a two-week trial.

Traction

Inc42 reports FY25 revenue of ₹4.1 crore (versus ₹10.7 crore in FY24), an employee count of 61, monthly web traffic of roughly 11,190 visits and a Glassdoor rating of 3.30 from 28 reviews. The company publishes alumni outcomes from fellowship cohorts graduating between 2019 and 2021, citing salary increases ranging from roughly 196% to 5,200% and placements at companies including Flipkart, Airmeet, Leap Finance, Alloy Automation, MightyByte, Sana Benefits and 101 Edu, and references a report on its top 100 developers.

Latest developments

The website, carrying a 2024 copyright, markets the AI recruiter matching product alongside the fellowship and publishes podcast episodes. Inc42 reports FY25 revenue of ₹4.1 crore, a 62% decline from FY24.