LOS
ANGELES, July 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Making
Space, a B2B SaaS talent acquisition and learning platform for
companies to train, access, and retain pre-qualified Disabled
talent, is thrilled to announce the successful close of an
oversubscribed $2 million pre-seed
funding round. Led by Beta Boom, with participation
from JFFVentures, FullCircle, American Student Assistance
(ASA), ECMC Foundation, SmartJob, Mindshift Capital, Techstars and
other notable investors.
The CEO is second-time founder Keely Cat-Wells. Her first
company, acquired by Whalar in 2022, represented one of the largest
investments in Disabled talent within the creative industries.
Cat-Wells and Sophie Morgan founded
Making Space and Making Space Media due to their lived-experience
as Disabled workers and struggling to find accessible pathways to
education and employment after acquiring their disabilities.
Making Space bridges this gap by embedding job-specific and
accessible education into the talent acquisition process. This
approach unlocks productivity and offers fast payback and clear ROI
for enterprise clients while providing increased access to
higher-quality jobs and a competitive advantage for disabled
workers. Making Space's software ties impact to fundamental
business metrics such as reduced time-to-hire, higher employee
retention rates, and improved employee performance, becoming an
integral piece of employers' recruiting and learning
infrastructure. "Making Space is capturing a massive labor
arbitrage opportunity by unlocking a previously untapped net new
pool of talented and pre-qualified workers. Clearly this is not
merely a potentially fleeting initiative." Noted Virginie Raphael,
founder & Managing Partner, FullCircle.
Disabled people (including those who are chronically ill,
neurodivergent and who have mental health disabilities) are twice
as likely to be unemployed, and only 49% of Disabled students
graduate from four-year colleges compared to 68% of their
non-Disabled peers. Additionally, 61% of disabled employees do not
disclose their disabilities at work, primarily due to concerns
about discrimination and bias which can lead to high turnover,
stagnant career growth, and a significant loss of valuable talent.
To address this, Making Space has developed "Compass," an AI tool
within a candidate's profile that turns the lived experience of
disability into transferable skills and personalized career
pathways. Currently in beta, the feature will be publicly released
in the coming months. Creating a welcoming and equitable work
environment where all workers can thrive is at the core of Making
Space's vision beyond its initial recruiting wedge.
The pre-seed funding round, which received substantial interest
and exceeded its original target, marks a significant milestone,
particularly given that Disabled entrepreneurs are 400 times less
likely to secure venture capital funding.
"At Beta Boom we love to back founders that have displayed
superhuman tenacity and resilience. Making Space is bridging the
gap between overlooked talent and world class opportunities, and
that's just the beginning." - Sergio
Paluch, Managing Partner, Beta Boom
In its first year, Making Space has already democratized free,
accessible education for over 1,800 people with
disabilities. While industry agnostic, the company's notable
partnerships include two of the world's largest media
corporations:
- Netflix Partnership: Making Space partnered with Netflix
to provide job-specific education, pre-qualifying and building a
pipeline of Disabled graphic designers. Read more
- NBC Sports Partnership: Making Space partnered with NBC
Sports to enhance employment opportunities for Disabled talent both
in front of and behind the camera during the upcoming Paris
Olympics and Paralympics broadcasts. This collaboration included
hiring the first-ever Disabled hosts for NBC's Paralympics
coverage. Read more
"Our partnership with Making Space has already proven beneficial
prior to our coverage of the Paris
Games," said Alexa Pritting, NBC
Sports' supervising producer of the Paralympic Games. "We cannot
wait for all of the tremendous work we will continue to do once the
Games begin and as we work to increase representation in the sports
world and beyond."
About Making Space
Making Space is a talent acquisition and learning experience
platform for companies to train, access and retain pre-qualified
Disabled talent. Making Space offers accessible skill-based
learning for talent sourcing, career advancement and mobility,
boosting productivity and delivering clear ROI for employers. Their
model improves key metrics like time-to-hire, quality of hire,
retention rates, and employee performance. Making Space is a
Techstars company, the winner of the inaugural WGU Labs Pitch
competition at ASU+GSV and won Gold at Pepperdine University's Most Fundable Companies
competition. Making Space is home to Making Space Media, a brand
that creates film, TV, educational and promotional content centring
the Disabled voice. Making Space Media has a first-look deal with
Reese Witherspoons, Hello Sunshine.
For more information, contact:
info@making-space.com
Or visit:
https://making-space.com/
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SOURCE Making Space