A mentorship platform for the tech industry

The platform aims to democratise access to professional career advice

Spotted: According to one survey, 67 per cent of organisations around the world see a skills shortage in tech. Finding and motivating the tech workers of the future is therefore an important challenge that affects almost every sector of the economy. One important tool that can help to tackle skills gaps and encourage industry growth is mentoring. But mentoring is a lot easier to implement in tech giants than in small startups. This is where UK startup Vektor AI comes in.

Founded by husband-and-wife pair Anna and Victor Buldakov – who themselves boast experience at Meta, WhatsApp, Zalando, N26, and Intercom – the startup is aiming to democratise access to mentorship through online, one-to-one support. To match mentors and mentees, the company’s platform analyses a wide range of data points, from employment history and education to professional goals and skills. Once matched, some mentors provide their services for free whereas others charge a fee.

Vektor AI believes that its update to the traditional mentorship model comes at a crucial time, as tech redundancies and the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic have led many workers to search for more meaningful careers and new skills. To make its service as widely accessible as possible, the startup is particularly attuned to the priorities of Gen Z – such as flexibility and purpose.

The platform was launched on November 18^th this year following intensive Beta testing.

Springwise has spotted several innovations aimed at closing skills gaps. These include a platform that connects US companies to remote Latin American developers, and another that takes the pain out of hiring from overseas.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead