Our journey
From a 2018 idea to a 2025 launch: independent R&D, ethical data practices, and product milestones shaping the YOONO platform.
2018
The idea takes shape
YOONO began life as Checkyr, a UK concept created to bring greater transparency to how people and organisations appear online.
The idea was simple: an automated engine analysing public data, sentiment, and imagery to produce a single confidence score — an Experian-style rating for your digital presence.
From the outset, the founders focused on recruitment, HR, and compliance, designing the platform around GDPR-by-design principles and a commitment to ethical, transparent automation.
2019
From vision to specification
The first full technical specification, Checkyr Engine Functional Specification v0.3, set out a multi-threaded .NET architecture with API integrations for search, sentiment, and image moderation.
That year, the team introduced an early CV-upload concept, enabling candidate data to be cross-checked against public sources — a feature that would later become central to recruitment integrity.
By year-end, prototype reports were already running at scale.
Late
2019
Early Checkyr concepts
Early prototypes demonstrated the foundations of YOONO’s future design — automated reputation scoring, data categorisation, and sentiment analysis.
Visual layouts from July 2019 featured dashboards such as Key Findings, Search Results, and Images Found.
2020
From prototype to platform
The technology evolved into a working product producing full digital-footprint reports and introducing the YOONO Confidence Score, automating in minutes what previously took days.
Mar
2020
Rebrand & product build
In March 2020, the platform re-emerged under the YOONO name, unveiling a new brand identity, website, and client portal that defined its modern design language.
The new site introduced the tagline “Know before you get to know. YOONO.”, positioning the service as an automated-intelligence platform for transparent, ethical background insight.
This release launched YOONO’s first live words for review module — an AI-driven feature that analysed online content for potential risk language such as blackmail, criminal, threatening, and controversial.
At the same time, the web interface added secure client login, CV-upload capability, and credit-based access, marking YOONO’s transition from prototype to full SaaS product and establishing public commercial use of the brand.
Mar
2021
Search screen evolutions
YOONO’s search has evolved from a simple desktop lookup to a seamless, cross-device experience. What began as a name-and-employer search grew into smart CV-uploads on desktop and mobile — letting recruiters start, continue, or complete searches anywhere, instantly turning a document or profile into actionable intelligence.
May
2021
Words for review
First working iteration of words for review.
Scan the search results and run through database to see all words of concern for you to check.
Late
2022
Research & investor readiness
By late 2022, YOONO had completed a structured research programme with UK recruitment and HR professionals.
The feedback confirmed demand for automated, consistent digital-reputation reporting.
Building on this insight, the team prepared its first investor deck and began pitching to private-equity and venture partners.
Jan
2023
AI summary prototype & ChatGPT era feedback
In January 2023, coinciding with the early ChatGPT era.
Customer feedback from early enterprise and compliance users highlighted the need for a faster, narrative-driven executive summary to accompany raw data results.
YOONO responded by developing the first AI Summary module — designed to automatically compile and contextualise key findings from multiple data sources, transforming complex research outputs into a concise, human-readable overview.
The update also introduced new report styling under the YOONO REPORT banner and marked the platform’s shift from pure data aggregation to true AI-assisted reasoning in digital due diligence.
Early
2023
Continued product development
YOONO began the creation of AI biographies, distilling a candidates full digital footprint into a digestible biography.
As an extension of YOONO’s individual reports, product development extended to Company Reports.
May
2023
First public demonstration
On 18 May 2023, YOONO unveiled its MVP at the In-House Recruitment Expo, London, presenting the platform publicly for the first time.
The live demo featured automated reporting, early bias-control tools, and the first AI Summary capability — earning strong industry feedback that shaped subsequent releases.
Late
2023
Platform modernisation & governance leadership
To accelerate launch, YOONO engaged Hedgehog Lab to enhance architecture and user experience.
This collaboration introduced Dun & Bradstreet corporate-data integration, AI-matching modules, and migration to a modular Azure/Python environment, improving speed and accuracy.
Early
2024
Accuracy breathrough “YOONO Confidence Score”
Continuous optimisation drove measurable progress.
By early 2024, YOONO achieved a false-positive rate of just 0.7%, an exceptional benchmark for automated reputation analysis.
Mid
2024
How it works
Explainer video to showcase the current YOONO product alongside a brand update.
Mid
2024
Advanced AI modelling & industry feedback
YOONO partnered with a specialist UK AI-engineering group to refine its dual-LLM reasoning engine and prompt-engineering workflows.
That summer, the company returned to the IHR Recruitment Fair 2024, collecting real-world feedback that further improved bias detection and governance.
During the same period, YOONO engaged James Clark, a UK data-protection and AI-regulation specialist (formerly Partner, DLA Piper UK LLP), to advise on privacy-by-design, AI governance, and cybersecurity — ensuring world-class compliance foundations.
Late
2024
Bias control & responsible AI
Insights from IHR 2024 led to the creation of YOONO’s bias-control framework and responsible-AI module.
New systems detect and categorise sensitive content — such as nudity, violence, or hate speech — while user-controlled visibility settings manage photos, dates of birth, locations, or gender information.
These features provide transparent, GDPR-aligned control and help reduce or mitigate unintended bias in recruitment and compliance screening.
Late
2024
Strategic team growth & further investment
YOONO completed a multi-million-pound growth investment to accelerate innovation, expand data partnerships, and prepare for international expansion — strengthening its position as a responsible-AI leader.
Supported by a growing team of more than 50 data scientists, engineers, and AI specialists, YOONO evolved into a multi-application platform serving recruitment, compliance, and risk-management markets.
2025
Launch & multi-application expansion
In 2025, YOONO moved from pilot to full commercial release.
The platform launched with Standard, Deep, and Executive Search modes, offering everything from rapid digital-footprint checks to comprehensive compliance reviews.
Following additional feedback at the IHR Recruitment Fair 2025, the long-anticipated CV-upload feature — first envisioned in 2019 — was implemented, enabling automatic verification of candidate data.
Late
2025
Full public launch
After seven years of continuous independent innovation, YOONO launched commercially, realising its mission of Total Accuracy — to make online information clearer, fairer, and easier to understand.
Post
2026
Continuous learning & expansion
Post-launch, YOONO’s adaptive-learning framework will continue to evolve, extending into new languages, markets, and compliance domains — always guided by transparency, privacy, and ethical-AI principles.
Bulk upload CVs, AI-generated CV check, report monitoring, plus more features to come.