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Interview Kickstart, a profitable startup helping tech professionals acquire career-advancing skills, has raised $10 million in its maiden funding from Blume Ventures, the companies said on Monday.<\/p>\n
The San Francisco-based startup, founded in 2014, assists engineers learn from employees of top tech companies or their alumni. Though always profitable, 2023 was pivotal for Interview Kickstart after the startup found immediate wide-adoption in its newly launched AI vertical aimed at engineers looking to switch to advanced roles, co-founder Ryan Valles told TechCrunch in an interview.<\/p>\n
Interview Kickstart<\/a>\u2018s offerings also help engineers learn to appreciate large-scale challenges sought by Big Tech and perform better in interviews, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cLarge tech companies are doing unbelievable and world-changing work and they need exceptional talent. But the education system hasn\u2019t kept up with it,\u201d he said. \u201cA way to understand the void that exists today is the acceptance rate at these top companies. It\u2019s 2-3%.\u201d<\/p>\n Valles, who previously worked at venture firm Accel, and co-founder Soham Mehta, who built Box\u2019s interview process, drew on their experiences in shaping the startup.<\/p>\n Interview Kickstart\u2019s learners have received job offers topping $250,000, with the highest over $1.2 million. Many professionals have doubled compensation after taking courses taught by some 550 Big Tech instructors. The startup counts Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Netflix among alumni instructors, many of whom see their association with Interview Kickstart as a way to give back to the community, said Valles.<\/p>\n Interview Kickstart founders, from left, Ryan Valles and Soham Mehta. (Image credits: Interview Kickstart)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n