On November 17, 2021, seven finalists will compete for $22,500 in awards in the Fall 2021 Skandalaris Venture Competition. In anticipation of the SVC finals, we are publishing a Q&A series with the finalists. Today’s featured team is UpSkilr.
UpSkilr is helping build a more efficient and equitable labor market by closing the skills gap for good. There is a growing skills gap in the US that will leave millions of jobs unfilled in the coming years. This skills gap will have a disproportionate impact on low-income workers of color. Current upskilling organizations (programs where people build industry-aligned skills quickly at a low cost) are working to close this gap, but the current system does not allow for direct connections among job-seekers, upskilling organizations, and employers. Instead, the current system relies on “word-of-mouth” to connect these parties, which limits the talent pool for employers, forces employers to pay for degrees instead of specific skills, and leaves diverse candidates out of the picture. UpSkilr is the first web-based application that will match job-seekers and employers to upskilling programs in local labor markets.
The UpSkilr Team includes: Sydney Nagorsky (EN ’23), Jason Jabbari (Researcher, Social Policy Institute at WashU), and Jonathan Oshinsky (LA ’23)
What problem are you solving?
(From Sydney) After taking a course about the school-to-prison pipeline with Jason, I became interested in working with him to improve educational equity and increase access to high-growth industries. A growing number of workers are in need of upskilling, yet there is nowhere to look for these skill-building opportunities. To address this, we created UpSkilr- the first web-based application that will match job seekers and employers to upskilling programs, improving efficiency and equity in the labor market.
What do the next 3-6 months look like for you?
We’d like to get 5 employers on our platform by the end of this year so we can test our product with real users. We’d also like to further develop our matching algorithm and launch a small marketing campaign to appeal to job seekers. At the same time, we are continuing our customer discovery work with more research and user interviews while also working to develop stronger partnerships within the St. Louis community.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since starting your venture?
There is no one way to go about building something and no perfect time to start. Just go for it and be committed to learning along the way.
What do you love about being an entrepreneur?
The ability to solve a problem you care deeply about. I also love how it constantly pushes me out of my comfort zone and teaches me new things.
What words of advice do you have for those starting a business?
There are so many resources out there to help you, especially at a place like WashU. Take advantage of every opportunity because you never know when it’s going to lead you to something big. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help or reach out to someone, even if you feel like you aren’t qualified to speak with them. I wish I were more confident in myself during the beginning of this process, as we would have been able to get feedback and make progress much quicker.
What activities, student groups, professors, or classes had the biggest impact on you during your time at WashU?
I am on the executive board for a club called Interrogating Incarceration, and I teach computer science to incarcerated individuals through LaunchCode, which has shown me firsthand the impact that upskilling programs can have on individuals. I am also a member of the professional fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi, which has helped me strengthen my business skills and has provided constant support and encouragement to try new things.
Website: Home | UpSkilr (wixsite.com)