Career Karma has raised $10 million to help workers break into the tech industry.
The relatively young startup—founded by Ruben Harris, Artur Meyster, and Timur Meyster in 2018—announced the Series A investment on Wednesday. The effort continues Career Karma's mission to connect job-seekers with much more lucrative careers within the tech field. The platform's primary function is to help people select online job training programs that best suit their needs. It's a service that is especially useful now, as the economic effects of the global pandemic has left countless Americans in search of new jobs.
"In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly hit the world with the intensity of a nuclear bomb," Harris wrote in the announcement. "Suddenly, all of the speculation about automation and the future of work accelerated in less than a month with one major exception: The ability to use computer software and its capacity to provide even more refined tools that millions of people can access easily in order to continue to do their jobs in spite of worldwide restrictions in terms of travel, has rapidly become essential for everyone."
Not only does Career Karma help pair its community with the best reskilling programs, it also connects people with mentors and coaches who provide advice on career transitions. According to the platform, it has successfully placed more than 3,000 people in job training programs, which have led to jobs at some of tech companies such as Tesla, StitchFix, and more.
Career Karma has also received backing from some of the biggest investment firms in the world, including Softbank's Opportunity Fund, Unshackled Ventures, Emerson Collective, and Imaginable Futures, as well as lead investor Initialized Capital.
"It’s clear that education is fundamental for every worker. With that in mind, we have built a rigorously ranked directory of 450 bootcamps and 7,000 trade schools, colleges, and universities," Harris continued. "In addition, we have created the community and software tools needed to help workers and job seekers determine which programs and institutions are right for them. Career Karma has the experience to help them determine how to more precisely determine which of those programs they need to compare based on their current goals."
You can learn more about Career Karma, including how to join, here.
