StartupJobs.ng has launched in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, aiming to connect startups with talented potential staff across Nigeria.
Founded in December of last year, StartupJobs.ng is now in beta with over 100 users ahead of a full launch in May.
The platform allows startups to post jobs for free – a premium service will be launched in May – and access highly skilled candidates from the training institutes that have partnered StartupJobs.ng.
“Our goal is to provide startups with the resources needed to build their ideas or startup,” founder Shina Memud told Disrupt Africa.
Self-funded currently, the company has initially launched in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, with 30 per cent of users so far startups and 70 per cent applicants. Currently the service is free, but the premium version to be rolled out in May will provide startups with instant access to candidates.
Memud said StartupJobs.ng had initially started life as a side project.
“We have huge passion for startups and we have worked with a few of them to launch their MVP,” he said.
“This helped us realise how hard it is for startups to actually find talent. Startups don’t have a lot of resources or time to spend on training, and in Nigeria, most graduates don’t have practical experience or sample projects that would fascinate a startup or any potential employer.”
Though there are other jobs platforms active in Nigeria, Memud said StartupJobs.ng was unique in that it is the only service that connects skilled candidates with startups.
“This gives us a tremendous advantage over other job sites. We don’t just offer jobs, we look for individuals with talent and connect them with startups,” he said.
“We think the problems we face in Nigeria like unemployment and lack of infrastructure can only be solved by building new businesses and companies. To do this, we need to support Nigerian startups with the necessary resources to help them succeed.”
StartupJobs.ng is focused on Nigeria for now, but does have plans to expand to Kenya during next year with the hope of finding similar training institutions for partnerships.
“Kenya’s startup community is growing, we want to support that and provide them with the necessary resources to bootstrap their ideas. Funnily enough, our analytics shows that the second most common visitors to our website are from Kenya – which validates our idea,” Memud says.
