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Runway is an AI-powered platform designed to connect ambitious university students with quality employers for internships and full-time entry-level positions. It aims to bridge the gap between education and employment by focusing on skills-based assessment and talent evaluation, moving beyond traditional resume screening and guesswork. The platform was launched in 2025.

Addressing the Early Career Hiring Challenge

Traditional hiring methods often lead to application overload for companies, with hundreds of non-fit resumes, and an ineffective screening process due to early career candidates having limited work history. This can result in a costly churn cycle, with a wrong hire potentially costing companies over $15,000 per employee. For students, conventional job platforms can be frustrating, leading to applications disappearing without a response, irrelevant opportunities, and the “experience paradox” where entry-level roles demand prior experience. Runway seeks to overcome these challenges by offering a new standard for quality candidates without an endless search.

Key Features for Employers

Runway offers several AI-powered tools and services to streamline the hiring process for companies:

  • AI Applicant Ranking Tool: This tool adapts to a company’s specific hiring priorities. Employers can define custom ranking parameters and upload up to 50 resumes to get applicants ranked by what matters most to their role and company. The AI scores candidates on a 0-100 scale using criteria like skills, experience, education, and soft skills, without falling for buzzwords or keyword stuffing. This can cut typical screening time by up to 70%. The system analyzes applications holistically, considering project experience, demonstrated skills, and potential cultural fit.
  • Pre-Vetted Talent Pool: Runway curates a pool of talent where only the top 10% make it onto the platform. Every candidate selects their career interests and undergoes AI-powered resume analysis against specific skill requirements.
  • Interview Management: The platform offers interview scheduling that automatically syncs with preferred calendar systems for seamless talent coordination.
  • Talent Management System (Trial Periods): Companies can evaluate candidates based on actual performance through trial periods, which reduces hiring risk and improves retention. Runway manages all administrative aspects, including payroll processing, tax compliance, worker’s compensation, and liability coverage, allowing employers to focus on talent evaluation.
  • Streamlined Conversion: The platform includes a streamlined process to transition top performers from trial periods to full-time roles.
  • Customizable Evaluation: The AI suggests 10 evaluation parameters from a job description that employers can fully customize.
  • Industry Support: Runway supports early career hiring across numerous industries, with particular strength in technology, engineering, marketing, design, business operations, and data science roles.

Runway also provides free resources for employers, including guides for building high-impact internship programs, templates for intern feedback and coaching, and AI prompt templates for job descriptions. Additionally, it offers a Free AI Resume Ranking tool to test its capabilities with up to 50 resumes.

Key Features for Students

For students, Runway aims to launch careers with the right opportunities:

  • Curated Opportunities: Students gain access to quality positions that match their specific skills and interests, avoiding an overwhelming flood of irrelevant listings.
  • AI-Powered Job Matching: The platform connects students to opportunities based on their actual capabilities and interests, rather than just keywords or credentials.
  • Career Resources & Support: Students can access exclusive guides, interview preparation tools, and personalized advice to help them stand out and succeed. This includes guides for perfect salary question responses and professional job offer responses.
  • Access to Vetted Employers: The platform connects students with vetted employers offering paid internships and full-time entry-level positions.
  • Diverse Career Opportunities: Companies on Runway actively seek early career talent in fields such as Business Development/Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, Data Analytics, Accounting, Project Management, various engineering disciplines (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, Biomedical, Civil, Computer), Front-end, Back-end, UI/UX, Data Science, DevOps/Cloud, QA/Testing, Game Development, and AI/Machine Learning.

Runway has reported paying over $1,000,000 to students and notes that students hired through the platform receive 15.6% more than the average entry-level pay. Over 300 businesses are posting jobs on the platform.

Runway Pricing Models for Employers

Runway offers transparent pricing with various options tailored for different hiring needs:

  • Talent Management System:
    • Fee: A 20% Management Fee paid by the talent.
    • Ideal for: Interns and contractors.
    • Services: Includes performance management, flexible work, timesheet tracking, payroll processing, Employer of Record services, and compliance. Runway acts as an independent contractor, subcontracting the talent, allowing employers to choose an hourly rate and pay for weekly hours worked.
  • Direct Placement:
    • Fee: A one-time fee of 20% of the first-year salary, paid by the employer.
    • Ideal for: Full-time hires.
    • Terms: Net 90 Days payment terms and a free replacement if the talent churns. The company directly onboards and owns the talent.
  • Economy Plan (Job Posting):
    • Price: $150 per post.
    • Best For: Posting 1 job.
    • Features: One active job listing for 30 days, 3 AI Talent Rankings, interview scheduling, optional timesheets & payroll, and messaging.
  • First Class Plan (Job Posting):
    • Price: $500 per month.
    • Best For: Posting 4-5 jobs annually.
    • Features: Up to 5 active jobs, unlimited AI Talent Rankings, interview scheduling, optional timesheets & payroll, messaging, unlimited team seats, and best-in-class support.
  • Private Plan (Full Hiring Process Management):
    • Price: Custom (contact for pricing).
    • Ideal for: Enterprise-scale early talent solutions where Runway handles the entire hiring process from start to finish.
    • Features: Unlimited active jobs, unlimited AI Talent Rankings, interview scheduling, optional timesheets & payroll, messaging, unlimited team seats, a dedicated account representative, ATS integration, and talent search.

Customer Experiences and Benefits

Customer reviews highlight Runway’s effectiveness in finding quality early career talent quickly and efficiently. Users have reported finding “young and hungry AI & Web Developers at an affordable rate” and securing BDR opportunities. Companies have found “several needles in the haystack” and praised Runway’s AI tools for predicting candidate fit with complex needs. Recruiters note that it saves significant time and improves the quality of hires, describing it as a “lightning-fast, AI-powered applicant ranking tool that actually delivers on its promise”. One user stated, “Hiring used to be a slog… Runway changes all that,” and another confirmed, “Seriously saves us so much time, easily worth it”. Startup users have highly recommended it for accessing “top tier student talent” and fostering productive collaborations.

Runway’s approach helps companies discover future leaders and empowers students to showcase their true potential. It aids in building strong early career talent pipelines and focuses on hiring based on skills rather than just credentials. This focus on early talent can also improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), as recent graduating classes are increasingly diverse. Additionally, hiring early talent can be cost-effective for companies due to competitive compensation packages compared to more experienced hires, potentially saving money on yearly salaries. Research suggests that hiring early talent improves retention and succession planning because they mold more easily to company culture, are eager to learn, and often form stronger social ties when starting with a cohort. This also positively contributes to office culture by bringing in fresh perspectives and a commitment to transparent and flexible work environments.

In conclusion, Runway positions itself as a modern solution for early career hiring, leveraging AI to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and overall satisfaction for both employers and the next generation of professionals.