data analytics dashboard that helps employers track how many views their job postings are getting and how jobs are being shared. It also attempts to calculate “the potential reach” of their openings and rewards.
The second development was an updated version of the Drafted app. Whereas the company initially focused on helping employers connect with job seekers, the second version of the app is more about enabling the reverse. When users come across intriguing job prospects, Drafted helps them get introduced to someone at the company. It does this by scouring their phone and Gmail contacts and trying to find someone they know who is connected to the company and can facilitate an electronic introduction with a few taps in the app, Ranade says.
It’s still early, but the company may be on the right track. Drafted got another endorsement of its strategy this week, when iRobot signed up for the service. The Bedford, MA-based robotics company currently has nine job openings and $37,500 in referral rewards posted on Drafted’s website.
Regardless of where Drafted goes from here, English thinks Ranade built it with the right foundation. When startups pitch English on investing in their companies, he wants to hear origin stories like Ranade’s—entrepreneurs chasing ideas based on their own personal experiences and passions.
“Don’t tell me what your company is doing, but tell me why this matters to you—what was the spark,” English says. “Those origin stories are very powerful in driving the culture of a company, how you hire, how everyone talks about the company. It almost lacks integrity when you build a company without it. The company has less of a framework, and therefore cannot innovate as quickly as one that has this really strong origin story.”
