Australian online recruitment firm Expert360 was on the brink of sealing a $165 million buyout from Heidrick & Struggles three years ago, but delays blamed on its investor Airtree Ventures led to the deal being torpedoed, according to multiple sources.

Expert360 was sold last week for just $16 million to Swipejobs, leaving its earliest investors and founder Bridget Loudon-Harris with nothing. Multiple investors in Expert360, who requested anonymity to speak freely, confirmed that a deal with Heidrick & Struggles had been done, before it collapsed at the last minute and they blamed Airtree.