“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” — Michael Jordan
Today’s issue:
July 14, 2020
FINDING TALENT WITH TECH
Have skills that need to be tilled? 
Photo courtesy, tilr
tilr is a fast-growing on-demand recruitment technology enterprise that connects companies to immediately available and qualified workers, headquartered in Cincinnati, OH. We checked in with CEO Stephen Shefsky and Sam Amsterdam, director of marketing and communications, for a Q&A session.
How did the idea for the company come about?
In 1992, my brother and I published a 'Help Wanted' classified newspaper in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. We did this for about three years before going digital by signing a deal with Prodigy. We had created a resume database with keyword search technology, but we were too far ahead of the market to gain sufficient traction.
How has the company changed since its beginnings?
We launched tilr in Cincinnati in late 2016. Our experiences taught us that human resources contain the sum of all the skills within a given company. So, we asked ourselves how we could leverage this data. We determined that it was more efficient to connect talent to opportunities, using a dynamic set of algorithms that match workers skill sets and company needs, rather than relying on work history and outdated job titles.
Why did you choose Cincinnati?
We received incentives from the city and our CEO had many years operating in the area. Cincinnati is our headquarters and sales hub location for the Midwest. Our original target market was an area that included Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus.
What differentiates you from other job services organizations?
Tilr enables instant hiring by pre-matching registered workers skills with company requirements. We eliminate the need for resumes, cover letters, and interviews by focusing on skills matching. This, importantly, removes any early bias in the hiring process. We are age, ethnicity, and race agnostic. We also provide a mechanism to help employees upskill to better paying positions.
Can you explain your business model?
We are planning on launching a subscription-based service. We charge companies a flat rate for unlimited access, and it is free to job seekers. Because we are web-based, we will be able to expand across North America and beyond. We have over 500 client companies and over 100K successfully matched employment opportunities. We originally provided the service only to part-time and gig workers but have expanded to full-time 1099 and W2 employees. We see even more opportunities to help match employers with the 30 million workers unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
How does the process work?
On average, it takes about 40 days to fill an open job requisition using traditional sources. With tilr, a prospective employee or employer can find a dynamic algorithm-driven match within seconds. These matches are then sent to subscribing companies and to prospective employees who register at our website. We also optionally provide prospective employees a mechanism for creating a virtual video interview, where they answer template-driven questions or those requested by a given company. This helps to funnel the best candidates to the companies where they fit best. All of this can be done through our mobile application on any smartphone.
What additional services do you offer employees?
We are working with accredited training companies to help our employees upskill to the next better position or role. The larger our database grows, the more benefits we will be able to provide.
What happens next?
tilr version 2.0 launches this month. It will offer improved skill mapping of human resources, with a new application that allows clients to use tilr inside their own intranet. This will allow them to see where talent resides within their organization and also identify skill gaps. We are launching this for the private market and local, state, and federal governments. We plan to launch the same functionality in Canada later this summer.
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INNOVATIVE HELP WANTED
Work for a startup with a noble mission How would you like to work for a company whose sole purpose is to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for people who are chronically ill? A company where you will find yourself working side by side with the best tech professionals out there?
Hive Networks is a mission-driven software company whose sole purpose is to improve outcomes for patients by connecting them, their caregivers, clinicians, and researchers via a data-sharing learning platform.
That mission is an important one. According to a parent of a patient involved in one of Hive Networks largest Learning Health Networks, “The doctor was my world, with Hive Networks, the world is now my doctor.”
Though Hive is a new company, it’s already experiencing the need to spread and scale their technology. “We want ‘players’ who are used to working with other top performers with minimal direction. Players who can trust senior management. Players who are truly committed to our mission,” says CincyTech Executive in Residence and Hive CEO John Bostick.
If you want to be a part of a fast-paced, challenging, and exciting work environment and think you have the talent to help Hive Networks with their mission, take a look at their current job openings here.
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Need help finding great talent? Contact us here.
Innovation and inclusion 
Brian Brackeen and founder Candice Matthews Brackeen; Photo courtesy Aaron M Conway
Innovation that supports inclusion of people of color, women, members of the LGBTQIAP community, and people with disabilities may represent the next wave for entrepreneurs to ride.
That is the mantra of Cincinnati-based Lightship Capital, which is creating a $50 million VC fund investing in startup companies focused on CPG, ecommerce, sustainability, AI, and healthcare.
It is the largest venture capital fund dedicated to investing in minority-led startups in the Midwest and the largest initial fund run by a woman of color. Lightship Capital is the investment arm of Cincinnati’s Hillman Accelerator. Hillman founder Candice Matthews Brackeen also serves as a general partner with Lightship Capital. Brian Brackeen is the other general partner. The firm has secured $20 million from SecondMuse Capital, the financial investment arm of consulting firm SecondMuse.
“With this $20 million commitment to our fund, SecondMuse is creating an equitable future for us all,” according to Lightship Capital. The firm has also stated that an additional close is scheduled for August.
TechCred prepares for after-Corona economy Just nine months since its September 2019 launch, Ohio’s TechCred workforce upskilling program is experiencing a refresh to help unemployed workers in the after-coronavirus economy.
TechCred continues to provide businesses with an easy enrollment of current and prospective employees completing technology-focused training and certification programs.
TechCred reimburses employers for tech education costs up to $2,000 per credential, including tuition, lab fees, manuals, textbooks, and certification. Helping Ohio companies upskill employees and meet the tech-based economy’s needs continues to be the core value behind TechCred.
Resources for continuing coding and software training are scarce for workers facing job loss due to the spread of COVID-19. Ohio is refreshing the TechCred program and making tech-focused training available for both employed and unemployed Ohioans.
“In this post-COVID world that we are looking toward, these skills are going to be more vital than ever,” said Jon Husted, Ohio Lt. Gov and Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, speaking at a recent gathering of business leaders.
You can contact TechCred@development.ohio.gov to inquire about the application process and timeline.
TRANSITIONS
What's next for ConnXus CEO Rod Robinson? Successful growth and steady leadership at ConnXus, a supplier management software company founded in Mason, Ohio in 2010, led to a successful acquisition by Coupa Software, a San Mateo, California-based provider of business-spend management solutions.
It’s a new chapter for the veteran entrepreneur and ConnXus CEO Rod Robinson as ConnXus transitions into a subsidiary of Coupa.
Robinson describes the Coupa acquisition as a perfect deal because both companies share a mission around increasing supplier diversity.
“As part of my new role at Coupa, I have the honor of leading our efforts to drive supplier diversity and inclusion across the Coupa platform,” Robinson told Cincinnati Future. “I help our global community of finance and procurement leaders drive more responsible sourcing as part of their spend management strategies. Essentially, I get to continue the ConnXus mission of driving more inclusive supply chains on a global scale.”
Early investment from CincyTech, a leading public-private seed fund focused on Southwest Ohio, helped ConnXus attract $11.3 million in funding.
The Coupa acquisition of ConnXus increases Robinson’s role as a driver for venture capital and top talent coming to Greater Cincinnati startups.
RESEARCH
UC researchers explore therapy to combat breast cancer Immunotherapy—using the body’s immune system to combat disease—has delivered positive results in treating various types of cancers. Unfortunately, most breast cancers haven’t been responsive to immunotherapies. Now, researchers at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center have seen improved outcomes by combining immunotherapy with a treatment that involves a cancer-promoting protein.
The basic idea is that targeting the protein—called FIP200—can make the breast cancer tumors responsive to immunotherapy treatments.
According to Syn Kok Yeo, PhD, the study’s co-lead author, “Disruption of the protein’s functions in tumor cells could essentially turn ‘cold’, or nonresponsive, tumors into ‘hot’, or responsive, tumors, susceptible to immunotherapy.”
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