The Next Big Thing: Path.To

Have you ever seen the movie Office Space?  As one of the funniest movies of all time (in this writer’s opinion), Office Space tells the story of Peter Gibbons, a disgruntled programmer at a software company called Initech.  Peter’s biggest problem in life is his job.  He hates it.  He hates his coworkers (well, most of them), he hates his boss and he hates that he has to work weekends.  In other words, Peter is 100% unhappy in his work life.

Lucky for us (and for Peter), Path.To, a new startup that exploded out of Jacksonville, Florida, is looking to rid the world of the Peter Gibbons attitude.  The founder’s vision says it all: “We want to create a happier workforce.”

In order to do so, the team at Path.To has launched an online platform that matches job seekers with compatible technology and design job openings.    Path.To integrates a better, deeper understanding of job seekers, searches for compatible companies, sprinkles in a little algorithmic sugar and finds the right company to match the job seeker’s preferences and experiences (i.e. résumé, work/life, benefits, culture, etc.).  The platform then recommends the applicants to compatible companies in the database based on a Path.To score.  Because of this unique, creative process, Path.To has quickly become known as “the eHarmoney for job seekers”.

The startup launched in April in the Bay Area and is now expanding to 19 other “tech centers” throughout the United States.  The startup prefers to launch in areas that foster strong startup cultures, which has made Kansas City a prime target.  The platform is now available in the Silicon Prairie region, allowing Midwest entrepreneurs, software developers and designers to easily find open positions. 

“Most software engineers have a job for 8 months and then quit,” explains Darren Bounds, founder and CEO of Path.To.  “We want to connect business applicants with opportunities and help form a deeper bond.  In the long run, we want this to increase retention rate.” 

But running a business like Path.To isn’t without its challenges.  According to Bounds, the company is extremely successful in analyzing its applicants 80% of the time.  It’s the additional 20% that is challenging.  In order to solve this issue, Bounds and his 13-person team at Path.To are constantly building and refining the product in order to reduce that 20%. 

“All of the challenges are worth it when I receive emails and tweets that someone found an amazing opportunity because of Path.To,” he explains.  “I once received a 3-page email from a girl who found the perfect company because of Path.To’s analysis.  It was a personal, heart-felt email.  That’s what we’re all about.”

How Does Darren Bounds of Path.To Think Big? “It’s something I’ve always had since childhood—it’s a part of my personality.  It may be a deficiency, but I suffered from ADHD as a child.  But I think that my mind wanders in creative ways—it explores concepts and takes paths that others may not consider.  I have learned to have confidence in my ideas.  It’s just part of who I am.”

Think Big's Gigabit Challenge Winner Kauzu Launches Kauzu.Biz Application

Think Big's Gigabit Challenge winner, Kauzu, has announced the development of Kauzu.Biz, a new job search application for the Chicago area.  Find out more: 

Alderman Patrick J. O’Connor of Chicago’s 40th Ward will unveil the Kauzu.Biz business application on Tuesday, August 28th, at 10:00am in a press event at Mather High School, 5835 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. Alderman O’Connor, Chair of the City Council Workforce Development and Audit Committee, is pleased to support Kauzu, a Chicago-based social venture providing free location-based job tools and free job postings for small businesses.

“In all of my years of working for the people of Chicago,” Alderman O’Connor stated, “I’ve worked with the private sector and kept an eye out for innovative ways to help the community thrive. When I learned about Kauzu and the ease with which their tools can help connect jobseekers and local businesses---I knew I had to get behind it. I encourage all businesses, job seekers, and Chicagoans in general to support Kauzu, and its innovations aimed at promoting job creation and retention.”

Kauzu.Biz is the employer’s portal to the Kauzu.Jobs jobseeker application, a free job search tool that pinpoints jobs by a user’s location. Kauzu.Biz allows small businesses to post unlimited jobs for free. Kauzu.Biz connects businesses with local jobseekers, reducing turnover by hiring employees with shorter commutes. Kauzu.Jobs and Kauzu Kono, a text‐based application that works on any cell phone in Chicago to locate open job listings near a job seeker’s location, were launched earlier in August.

According to Kauzu CEO Mitch Schneider, “We think employers are ready for an application with unlimited free listings, that helps them hire local, cut turnover and generate repeat business, and that creates the sustainable economic development that helps every family and business in the community. And we’ve built it.”

A City of Chicago Proclamation noting Kauzu’s achievements will be read at the event, and Kauzu will present Alderman O’Connor with a certificate of appreciation.

At the event, the Alderman and Kauzu will recognize six local supportive Chambers of Commerce whose members will learn more about Kauzu.Biz-- Edgewater, Lakeview East, Business Partners—the Chamber for Uptown, Lincoln Bend, Lincoln Square, and the South Chicago Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, three nonprofit partners will be recognized—the Albany Park Community Center, where Kono was launched on August 7; Centers for New Horizons, where Kauzu.Jobs was launched on August 15; and Goldie’s Place, a support center for people who are homeless, located in Chicago’s 40th Ward. Additional attendees at the event will include representatives from the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Small Business Development Center and from Streetwise, a Chicago area publication assisting men and women facing homelessness.

Looking to learn more?  Visit www.kauzu.com for all of the latest info!

Follow Kauzu! @KauzuInc
Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig

Chicago Startup Kauzu Announces New Job Search App

Think Big's own Gigabit Challenge winner Kauzu is making exciting announcements about its newest initiatives, Kauzu Kono and Kauzu.Jobs.  

Mitch Schneider, CEO of Kauzu. 

Chicago social venture Kauzu launched its Kauzu.Jobs mobile application at the Charles Hayes Family Investment Center.  Kauzu has partnered with Centers for New Horizons to present the new product, a free job search application that pinpoints jobs by a user’s location, designed specifically for Chicago’s hardest-hit communities.

“Our communities have needed and continue to need more effective tools to find and secure jobs,” says Mitch Schneider, CEO, Founder and Chairman of Kauzu.  “Kauzu.Jobs is our latest tool that offers unique, integrated, and common sense functions for job seekers to be effective, and guess what?  It is free.”

Job seekers can access Kauzu.Jobs from any smart phone, be it iPhone, Android, or Windows tablet or computer--anything with a web browser. The program pinpoints the user’s location to find entry-level jobs such as retail and service opportunities in its immediate area. Finding jobs based on location is essential, because working nearby is critical to job seekers in many communities, as many can’t afford long commutes and often lack reliable transportation.

Kauzu’s marketing materials promise “Great Jobs, Right Around the Corner.”

Andre Kellum, Program Director for the Centers for New Horizons Workforce Development program, touts the immediate benefits Kauzu.Jobs gives job seekers.

“The Kauzu tool allows us to tap into a whole other experience for our ‘dual focus’ workforce development program model and will continue to solidify the skills sets needed for successful job placement services,” he says.  “We are proud to partner with Kauzu and be on the front lines of exposing technological enhancements to our customers."

At the product launch on August 15, 2012, two hundred at-risk youth and 19 employer partners—who recently completed the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program—witnessed a first-hand demonstration of Kauzu.Jobs. 

President and CEO of Center for New Horizons, Dr. Sokoni Karanja, sees the potential of Kauzu.Jobs helping families achieve Kujitegumea (self reliance). 

“Finding a job is an essential step in achieving that goal,” says Dr. Karanja.  “As always, we search for every opportunity to achieve our purpose, we thus partner with Kauzu as they create a new tool they believe will increase the likelihood that residents of Bronzeville are better able to locate and achieve employment.”

 “We are so thrilled to work with community leaders to get the most innovative mobile job app into the hands of the people who need it most,” adds Schneider.

The Chicago metropolitan area unemployment rate remains nearly 10 percent, nearly two percent above the national average.  In some demographic groups in particular, the unemployment rate is as high as 35 percent. 

Kauzu recently released Kono, a text-based application where a user can access the same job listings on basic cell phones. Small businesses can post job openings and opportunities to Kauzu’s system for free, saving money and reducing turnover by hiring employees with shorter commutes.  Kauzu is continually adding features to Kauzu.Jobs, linking to the Kauzu.Biz launch on August 28.

To learn more about Kauzu.Jobs and Kauzu Kono, please visit www.kauzu.com. 

About Kauzu:

Kauzu (kawz-ooh) is the Esperanto word for “cause” and reflects the company’s focus on creating social change by transforming how jobseekers and employers connect.  Kauzu was the 2012 winner of Think Big Partners’ Gigabit Challenge “Born Global” Award in Kansas City, Missouri.  To learn more about Kauzu, please visit www.kauzu.com.

About Centers for New Horizons:

Centers for New Horizons’ mission is to develop the capacities of families to become self-reliant, to improve the quality of their lives and to participate in rebuilding their community.  The Center for New Horizons’ Workforce Development program is a “dual customer” program providing area employers with expertly matched job candidates and assists job seekers in qualifying for such jobs.  To learn more about Centers for New Horizons, please visit www.cnh.org.

Follow Kauzu! @Kauzu

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig