London-based Vektor AI has just raised over €2.4 million to shake up the mentorship model and enhance accessibility to professional career advice and guidance. The startup, founded by husband and wife duo, has now launched after 6 months of beta testing.
Mass layoffs, ‘quiet-quitting’, the rise of remote working, workcationing, talent shortages – just a handful of the themes hitting the headlines when looking at the world of work recently. It seems that since the pandemic, the way we work and the expectations and aspirations employees have has changed irreconcilably.
For millennial and GenZ workers, in particular, these changes have hit hard. Now, these generations are looking for ways to feel more fulfilled in their careers, have access to quality mentoring and professional career advice, and have it in a way that matches flexi and remote working models. It has meant that a number of mentorship and employee training platforms have been launched recently. Now, aiming to take a fresh approach that is more tailored to younger generations, Vektor AI has launched after securing new funding.
The details:
- €2.4 million ($2.5 million) raised in a pre-seed round
- Funding led by Cherry Ventures and Mosaic Ventures
- Angel investors Bradley Horowitz (Google), Deb Liu (Ancestry), Ujjwal Singh (Meta), Paul Forster (Indeed), Phil Chambers (Peakon), and more also participated
Democratizing tech talent’s access to career advice
Founded in 2021 by husband and wife team, Anna Buldakova and Victor Buldakov, who brought their combined experience from Meta, WhatsApp, Zalando, N26, and Intercom to the table, Vektor AI is a platform dedicated to professionals hoping to change or advance their careers through mentorship.
Anna Buldakova, co-founder and CEO of Vektor AI: “If you want to transition to a new career or learn a new skill, mentorship is the most effective way to reach that goal. But, due to the changing employment landscape, finding relevant mentors is harder than ever, especially for startup employees. With Vektor AI, you get direct professional guidance from someone who has been in your shoes and can help you get to where you want to go.”
The platform enables users to interact in real-time with a chosen mentor experienced in the role and field the mentee seeks to succeed. Using data such as employment background, education, professional goals, and skills, the platform matches mentees with relevant mentors who can advise on and assist with training, growth, and tangible next steps. While some mentors offer their advice and expertise free of charge, others do so on a paid basis – meaning that access to quality training is now available to everyone and isn’t reliant on the size of your bank account.
Victor Buldakov, co-founder and CTO of Vektor AI: “We created Vektor because we want to ensure that individuals who choose to work in small organizations have access to the same level of career growth and support as those at larger companies.”
Standing apart from traditional mentor models, Vektor AI offers a more accessible and democratized mentorship model that seeks to enable rapid career advancement and concrete results for everyone.
Dinika Mahtani, Principal at Cherry Ventures: “People’s careers matter. However, accessing, navigating, and creating meaningful career paths is not nearly as simple as it should be. Anna, Victor, and their growing and diverse team are changing this, helping mid-level and senior tech professionals gain more career clarity. With their AI-know how, science-guided program, and community-driven background and mindset, Vektor is set to make careers a journey, not a ladder.”
The launch of Vektor AI has come at an opportune moment: with a new generation entering the workforce remotely for the first time, the pandemic triggering a search for more meaningful careers, and mass lay-offs leaving individuals in need of new skills advice and training, and guidance on becoming self-employed, the need for personalized, professional, and relevant career support is greater than ever.
Toby Coppel, Co-founder and Partner at Mosaic Ventures: “Millennials and Gen Z are ditching the corporate ladder for remote work, startup roles, and greater flexibility. While this has many upsides, many lose out on the benefits of working at a corporate, such as the opportunity to organically build relationships with experienced leaders and access to potential mentors. Vektor aims to solve this by connecting tech talent with mentors within their field. We can’t think of a better duo to scale this business than Anna and Victor.”
