Culver City-based recruitment firm Cluster Inc. raised $1.9 million to expand its team and bolster relationships with manufacturers in Southern California, the company announced on March 13.

Created last year by Kim Taylor, who previously founded educational recruitment platform Ranku, the firm seeks to be the go-to recruitment tool for Southern California’s aerospace, defense and automotive industry.

Advanced manufacturing companies have struggled to find qualified workers as technology has increased demand for specialized skills and Cluster aims to capitalize on those needs.

Cluster’s platform reviews engineering talent and employer pay through a subscription model to access mid-to-senior level talent.

“Our partners need people with specialized skills like Siemens NX or CATIA,” said Taylor in a release. “Talent needs greater transparency around the skills they need to get hired.”

Billionaire investor Mark Cuban and Minneapolis-based ECMC Group, a nonprofit career education company led the investment.

Manufacturing, retail and trade reporter Rachel Uranga can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225 ext. 251. Follow her on Twitter @racheluranga