AI learning soars as Interview Kickstart raises $10m

Interview Kickstart, an education platform that assists engineers in advancing their skills and obtaining roles in the rapidly expanding tech sector, has recently secured a $10 million investment from Blume Ventures, marking its most substantial initial investment to date.

For several years, Interview Kickstart has maintained profitability and has educated over 20,000 professionals with advanced training programmes in areas such as AI, Machine Learning, Data Science, Engineering, and Product Management. The platform has become the preferred choice for tech professionals worldwide seeking to elevate their careers in major tech and AI firms, with alumni successfully securing positions at companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, Netflix, AirBnB, Uber, Apple, Lyft, and LinkedIn.

Interview Kickstart's participants have received job offers exceeding $250,000, with the highest reported salary surpassing $1.2 million. Many have doubled their salaries after completing courses that are crafted and led by a team of more than 500 instructors from FAANG and other leading tech companies. The platform now includes courses in emerging fields like Generative AI, aimed at future-proofing the careers of its participants.

Co-founders Soham Mehta, with previous experience at Box, eBay, and Microsoft, and Ryan Valles, former Accel Partners executive and CEO of dealsandyou.com, established Interview Kickstart with the vision of creating a platform that empowers software engineers to stay abreast of industry developments and surpass the rigorous selection criteria of tech companies with acceptance rates between 2% and 5%. Interview Kickstart stands out as the sole educational platform that equips working professionals with the expansive thinking, advanced technical skills, and problem-solving capabilities needed to secure roles at these elite companies, with instruction provided by individuals who have already achieved such career milestones.

Ryan Valles, Co-Founder at Interview Kickstart commented: “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 stock option plans. Interview Kickstart, with our instructors and partners, aims to help working tech professionals prepare for these compelling opportunities. For instance, a working professional, Christian, recently got an offer of $380k at a FAANG company, which was more than double what he earned before going through Interview Kickstart. Our constant focus on profitability and strong unit economics, along with this growth investment from Blume, will help us amplify and expand this mission.”  

Soham Mehta, Co-Founder at Interview Kickstart, added: “In a world where Big Tech is the force behind the rapid pace of tech innovation, including the significant platform shift that Generative AI brings about, there has never been a more substantial need for the 22 million software engineers worldwide to focus on building the essential skills that are emerging out of top tech companies to stay relevant and Level Up. Interview Kickstart is uniquely poised to dominate that enormous opportunity.”

Karthik Reddy, Managing Partner at Blume Ventures said: "Interview Kickstart presented a unique opportunity. The company has been bootstrapped and profitable for several years and the founders have built an incredible proposition and community. The investment is a testament to our belief in Interview Kickstart's mission and track record of delivering career-shifting impact to professionals. They’ve had a huge impact on professionals arming themselves with new skills and opportunities to thrive in the fiercely competitive tech industry. Soham and Ryan are well placed to scale this to become one the greatest scale stories of the decade."