Even after going through résumés, cover letters, and interviews, selecting the ideal person for a job often remains uncertain. Hiring managers frequently depend on personal biases or intuition, making the process anything but precise.
To address this, Sarah Lucena developed Mappa, a behavioral intelligence platform powered by AI, designed to reduce the uncertainty in recruitment. Mappa’s AI model analyzes voice patterns to identify traits like communication style, empathy, and self-assurance. Candidates respond to questions from Mappa’s AI agent, and the system then provides hiring managers with a shortlist of applicants whose characteristics align with the job requirements.
Mappa has been recognized as a Top 20 Startup Battlefield finalist at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco.
“Mappa’s mission is to genuinely understand individuals,” Lucena shared in a conversation with TechCrunch. “We don’t label traits as positive or negative. Instead, we look at whether they are a good fit for a particular role.”
Lucena launched Mappa in 2023 alongside co-founders Pablo Bérgolo and Daniel Moretti, securing $3.4 million in seed funding led by Draper Associates, Tim Draper’s investment firm. In under three years, the company has grown to serve over 130 clients in the U.S. and has surpassed $4 million in annual recurring revenue.
According to Mappa, one of its strongest assets is its data. The company has assembled highly specialized datasets to better interpret human behavior. Initially, Mappa tried evaluating candidates through video submissions and online profiles, but ultimately found that analyzing voice was the most reliable approach.
Lucena reports that Mappa’s technology has already enabled businesses to hire employees who remain with the company longer. While the typical yearly turnover rate is about 30%, she notes that hires made through Mappa have a turnover rate as low as 2%.
Lucena emphasizes that Mappa’s primary aim is to help organizations identify the most suitable talent, which often leads to fairer hiring practices. To date, Mappa has facilitated over 3,000 hires, with more than 60% being women, LGBTQ+ individuals, or immigrants. Lucena, who grew up in Brazil, takes pride in expanding opportunities for these groups.
Looking ahead, Lucena envisions Mappa transitioning from a service provider to an infrastructure platform. The company’s API is gaining popularity among businesses interested in applying its behavioral analytics beyond recruitment. Tim Draper himself uses Mappa to evaluate startup founders for potential investment, and the educational platform Re-Skilling.ai leverages it to identify areas where students can enhance their skills.
Lucena also foresees Mappa being used in the future to help approve loan applicants who lack a substantial credit record. She believes Mappa can serve as a fair assessment tool in a variety of scenarios.
If you’re interested in hearing directly from Mappa, exploring numerous other pitches, attending insightful workshops, and making valuable business connections, visit this page for more details about this year’s Disrupt , taking place October 27–29 in San Francisco.
