Quarterly Publication - Ed. 02-May6 - Flipbook - Page 7
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HATCHWAYS:
MAKING CAREER
DREAMS COME
TRUE
Jaclyn Ling and Shums Kassam (Next 36, 2014),
Co-founders of Hatchways
J
aclyn and Shums came into Next 36 together in 2014, built Blynk Style, a
“pocket stylist” tech startup together, sold to Kik in 2015 and now run
Hatchways … together. They’re a shining example of a yin and yang co-founder
relationship, each bringing distinct yet complementary skills to their startups.
Jaclyn always knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur - when she was 11, she
ran her own hot chocolate stands, at 19 she started to generate ad revenues from her
personal YouTube channel, then studied finance and entrepreneurship at McGill. At the
age of 22, she started her first tech startup. Now, she brings that entrepreneurial drive,
along with strategic leadership, marketing, and business savvy skills to the Hatchways
team. Shums developed his passion for writing code and creative problem solving
while studying engineering at the University of Toronto, then decided to apply them
to entrepreneurship. The pair met in our Next 36 program and have been building
solutions together since. After graduating from Y-Combinator in 2019, they set up shop
in Toronto and have set their sights on helping hundreds of Canadians pursue careers
that may have been previously undreamable.
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GRIT
PROBLEM
Talent gaps in the tech ecosystem
SOLUTION
Hatchways: Helping new grads, self-taught programmers,
and career shifters get their first jobs in tech by evaluating
their skills, providing tailored feedback, and setting up
interviews with tech startups. In their digital program,
aspiring tech talent learn job skills in a simulated startup
environment, shaping them into the much needed and
sought-after tech talent startups are hungry for.
Hatchways found a way to pair
talent with creative COVID-19
flattening solutions. Learn more
IMPACT
100+ tech roles filled by “non-traditional” talent
across Canada.
Learn more about how Jaclyn and
team responded to new business
challenges presented by COVID-19
on LaunchPod.
COVID SUPPORT
GRIT
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