Mercor is an AI-powered platform that sources, vets, and pays employees, and has just announced a $3.6M seed funding round. Brendan Foody, CEO of Mercor, detailed the origin story of the company, which was driven by difficulties in hiring and scaling a team. He highlighted the pain points in traditional hiring, such as high recruiter fees and scalability issues, that Mercor aims to resolve using AI. The platform's initial user adoption was fueled by referrals within founder communities, underscoring the importance of solving acute problems and building product-led growth. Brendan believes in a compound startup approach, delivering a single tool that solves multiple issues within hiring, from sourcing to scheduling interviews with AI integration for an all-encompassing experience.