Blume Ventures injects $10M into workforce skilling startup Interview Kickstart

Early-stage venture fund Blume Ventures has invested $10 million in Upward & Onward Inc’s technology and AI workforce skilling platform, Interview Kickstart.

The funding, which is Blume Ventures’ largest opening investment to date, will be used to solidify Interview Kickstart’s position in the United States and support its global platform expansion efforts.

Founded in 2014 by Soham Mehta (formerly at Box, eBay, Microsoft) and Ryan Valles (formerly at Accel Partners, CEO of dealsandyou.com), Interview Kickstart is designed for tech professionals seeking to prepare for employment opportunities at leading tech companies.

The online platform for technical interview preparation offers courses designed and delivered by engineers from prominent tech companies (FAANG—Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google/ex-FAANG).

“There is a Power Law at play for jobs. Top tech companies pay 2-3 times as much as others and offer massive wealth-creating opportunities via ESOPs. Interview Kickstart, with our instructors and partners, aims to help working tech professionals prepare for these compelling opportunities,” said Ryan Valles, Co-founder of Interview Kickstart.

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US-based Interview Kickstart asserts that over 20,000 individuals have participated in its programmes, covering AI, machine learning, data science, and various advanced engineering and product domains. It claims that learners have received job offers regularly averaging over $250,000.

“Interview Kickstart presented a unique opportunity in this otherwise difficult environment. Apart from knowing Ryan for over 7-8 years, we discovered Soham and their bootstrapped and profitable business in 2023 and found it irresistible on performance and future potential,” Karthik Reddy, Managing Partner at Blume Ventures, noted.

Reddy added, “Our diligence led to discovering delighted working learners arming themselves with new skills and opportunities to thrive in the fiercely competitive tech industry.”

Blume presently invests out of Fund IV, a $300-million vehicle backed by prominent institutional limited partners and family offices. With the close of Fund IV, Blume's assets under management now exceed $600 million.