Original post by WIRED.co.uk
InternAvenue is an online recruitment tool that allows employers to access graduate interns in key business areas of interest. Companies can create a profile and search through prospective interns to find those candidates with the exact skills they are looking for, rather than posting a regular job ad. The company was founded by Oxford graduate and former lawyer, Dupsy Abiola. She recently appeared onDragon’s Den and secured £100,000 investment from Peter Jones. Wired.co.uk caught up with her.
Founder: Dupsy Abiola
Launched: September 2012
Employees: five
Funding: closing third round of angel investment
What problem do you solve?
Put simply, it is hard to just meet and hire the bright students and graduates you need without considerable investment of time and money. We believe businesses would benefit from direct access to the right types of candidates, right when they are needed.
How do you plan to make money?
Intern Avenue is free for students. We charge business a fixed fee for access. Other revenue streams are planned, but at present our focus is on providing our core value — reliable access to qualified and skilled applicants who can add value immediately upon hire.
What’s the biggest misconception about your business?
When you do something new, misconceptions are inevitable. I would not like people to mistake our platform for “just another niche job board”. Intern Avenue is a talent aggregator which operates like an on-demand introduction agency. We aim to support and enhance company hiring activities. We also help candidates by providing them with the ability to be headhunted and find accurate job market data in a space where this visibility is sorely lacking.
