Tangent, a jobseekers network targeting aspiring tech workers from less advantaged backgrounds, has raised $1.1m (£882,000).
Founded by former LinkedIn employee Gary Izunwa, Tangent is a platform that connects jobseekers from low socioeconomic backgrounds with people in tech offering mentorship and referrals.
The recently launched Tangent network is initially starting with entry-level tech sales roles, connecting users with staff from tech firms including Revolut, Stripe and Amazon.
“You are nine times more likely to be hired through an employee referral, however, if you come from a less privileged background like me, chances are you don’t have a professional network to get referred,” said Tangent co-founder & CEO Gary Izunwa.
Izunwa, while working at LinkedIn, said after seeing privately educated colleagues “refer their private schooled friends” who would then land “top jobs”, it felt to him “unfair for those who are just as talented but lack the networks”.
Izunwa’s co-founder Joe Adams added: “Companies love referrals but in their current form they damage diversity as the existing referral talent pools are homogenous.”
The investment round came from Zinc VC, Google Black Founders Fund and the Syndicate Room. Additional funding came from angels at firms including Deliveroo, Atomico and Ada Ventures.
“Tangent sits at the heart of Zinc’s thesis of building commercial solutions to solve the world’s most pressing problems,” said Ella Goldner, general partner at Zinc VC.
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