Updated 3/23/21: Honest Jobs has won first place in the SXSW ‘Future of Work’ Pitch. The win got them a prize of $1,000, two tickets to next year’s event, and the press as part of “inventive and ingenious minds solving tomorrow’s problems.” Honest Jobs was the pitch winner for showcasing its “aim to help often overlooked populations.”
Take a look at the Pitch Deck Honest Jobs submitted to the competition.
Honest Jobs has been invited to pitch in SXSW’s online event this Thursday, March 18, 2021. Out of 500 applicants, they will be 1 of 5 that will make their pitch in the “Future of Work” category. They are the only company from Ohio in this year’s pitch event.
“We believe the future of work is more “just”, for women, people of color, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community, but also for those impacted by our criminal justice system,” says Harley Blakeman, Founder and CEO.
The finalists will virtually pitch their ideas and have a Q&A with three judges. It’s the 13th year for the pitch event, which has moved online due to the pandemic. The event gives finalists a chance to be in front of industry technology experts, high profiled media personnel, and Venture Capitalists, and Angel Investors.
Honest Jobs launched in 2019 with the goal to help people find ‘fair-chance employment.’ They are a national job marketplace that connects employers with job seekers who have been impacted by the criminal justice system.
“Our goal is to reduce rejection and provide a quicker path to employment for people impacted by the criminal justice system.”
Future of Work is a new category for this year’s pitch event, to highlight technologies that “enable, empower, change, and expand capabilities in the future of work and the working experience.” They can be applied in all aspects of work, from the gig economy, to remote working, incentives for workforce development, advances in human resources, education, and skills, and more.
Blakeman plans to pitch two new aspects of the business.
“One is our ‘ConflixAI’ technology that makes smart matches for jobs seekers, reducing rejection and resulting in a much quicker path to employment,” he says. “The other is our ‘Direct Placement’ program which allows employers to partner with us for a more ‘white-glove hands-on’ approach.”
With the Direct Placement program, Honest Jobs guarantees a 90 retention period for each candidate hired by employment partners.
The Future of Work SXSW Pitch happens on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 11:00am EST. For more information, visit online.sxsw.com.
For more information on Honest Jobs, visit honestjobs.co.
