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Supporting startups that are creating the next generation employment opportunities using technology
Introduction
India needs to create a workforce that is skilled enough to fill over 100+ million jobs to continue being the fastest growing economy.
Since our inception, we at Unitus Ventures have been actively exploring the employability space for startups that are helping the Indian workforce step up to this challenge. This has led us to launch the StartEdu: Employment 2.0 Competition in the following verticals –
Improving Employability
Startups using technology or/and digital content to stay relevant to today’s market needs.
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Micro-entrepreneurship
Startups enabling an individual to become a full-time freelancer in urban and rural India.
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Tech-enabled job matching
Startups using technology to evaluate, access and match the job seekers to the right job.
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This program is designed to identify the most innovative and scalable employability-focused companies enabled by technology.
The Winnings
Opportunity to access seed investment of upto INR 3 Crore from Unitus Ventures
Access to industry leaders and advisors in India’s Edtech Sector
Dates & Details
ELIGIBILITY
- Must be a for-profit company incorporated in India and focusing on EdTech sector.
- Must be led by a professional (not a full-time student).
SCHEDULE
- Applications open on 29th August and close on 21st September.
- Top 10 finalists announced on 28th September.
- The final winners will be announced by 1st week of October.
HOW TO APPLY
- Carefully and thoughtfully fill out application form below. Tip: Sooner, the better.
- Think hard about how your start-up is unique and why your business makes a difference
- Stick to timelines. We are very particular about that.
- Tip to WIN – Numbers matter. See how you can quantify progress and proposition well.
Why These
Verticals Matter
Improving Employability
The current workforce suffers from an acute skill gap with no comprehensive solution addressing it. We want startups helping workers to upgrade their skill set to ensure they are able to enter the workforce.
These are platforms that provide tech-enabled training solutions to people who otherwise are unable to find employment due to lack of relevant skills. These include solutions that teach various trades, communication skills, soft skills and basic computer literacy. A Unitus investee, Utter imparts English fluency training and workplace skills via chatbots and live tutors. Skillveri provides interactive solutions to train workers on welding equipment and machinery for employers in the manufacturing space.
Online learning platforms that help students and young professionals explore alternate career options and quickly acquire necessary skills can help place them into better-paying opportunities. Online marketplaces for educational course such as Unacademygive easy access to economical, crowd-sourced content to professionals in tier 2/3 cities who wish to gain skills in order to facilitate career changes.
Full-time Freelancers
The power of balance is shifting away from large corporations to newer startups and, more importantly, individuals.
In the recent past, we have been seeing a definite move away from the traditional idea of employees working full time for a fixed number of hours. Catalyzed by high unemployment rates among graduates, there is a pressing need for startups that are helping individuals become micro-entrepreneurs or full-time freelancers. Unitus has invested in two startups exemplifying this need – Awign and CueMath. Awign helps students acquire professional experience and job exposure by packaging micro-tasks from companies as paid internships. CueMath partners with qualified stay-at-home moms to facilitate after-school math classes for children, allowing women who have chosen not to work full time, be a part of the workforce.
Job matching
Hiring is broken.
Tech-enabled platforms that can effectively assess the skills of potential job seekers and find jobs better suited to their background and potential. This can tackle the problem of underemployment, ensuring qualified candidates are placed in jobs commensurate to their education and experience.We would be interested in startups that provide study material to job seekers and allows them to test multiple skills and identify areas that need improvement, an example of which is SkillMap, an app for fresh graduates and professionals with less than fours years of experience to assess their skills and reach out to relevant employers. We would also be interested in startups that tie up with corporates and train students in advance for their requirement ensuring better match in students and recruiters.
This program is designed to identify the most innovative and scalable employability-focused companies enabled by technology. Apply now to win an opportunity to pitch for an investment of up to INR 3cr.
Application Form
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Thank you for showing interest in the StartEdu: Employability 2.0 Competition. We’ve now closed applications for the competition and are currently evaluating over 200 startups. We encourage you to continue to visit our website for further updates on StartEdu.
We’re always accepting applications from startups working across education, healthcare and financial technology. Click the links below to learn about our funding criteria and make an application today:
Other Investing Initiatives
We have several interesting ways you can connect with us –
Seed Funding
You can always apply for seed funding, and if you the right fit, we would love to invest and partner with you.
