Kinobi is a platform that seeks to address one of the most pressing challenges facing young people today: the transition from school to work. With the rapid pace of technological advancement and a rapidly evolving job market, this can be an incredibly daunting prospect for many young people, particularly members of Generation Z.
To help bridge this gap, Kinobi provides a college-to-career platform that offers a wide range of services and resources to help students and recent graduates navigate the transition from the classroom to the workforce. The platform offers a comprehensive suite of tools, including job search and application assistance, career coaching, mentorship programs, and skill-building resources.
Today, Kinobi announced that it has secured US$1 million in seed financing, led by an undisclosed corporate venture capital firm based in Indonesia. Several family offices and angel investors in the region also participated in the round. The funding will be used to support Kinobi's expansion across the region, with a particular focus on building partnerships with universities in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
Overall, the goal of Kinobi's platform is to help young people achieve their full potential by providing them with the guidance, support, and resources they need to succeed in their chosen career paths. By bridging the "last-mile" education gap and helping students make a smooth transition into the workforce, Kinobi is poised to play a major role in shaping the future of work for Generation Z and beyond.
“We’re merely scratching the surface in Jakarta and Manila. The hunger from students to succeed drives me every day to build a product so good that it helps them succeed better,” said Benjamin Wong, co-founder, and CEO of Kinobi.
Launched in 2021, Kinobi aims to bridge the “last-mile” education for Gen Z youths, helping them through the transition from finishing formal education to beginning a career.
The company also operates as a SaaS platform for universities and career centers to track and benchmark their students’ job readiness and submit outcomes to the board and the government.
So far, Kinobi claimed to have provided service to more than 150,000 students and 51 universities in Southeast Asia, including 23 universities in Indonesia. It is on track to onboard 200 member universities of the Indonesia Career Center Network (ICCN) in the next three months, according to a press release.
“Career success is more important for Gen Zs than any other generation. They have more debt, fewer earnings and higher unemployment,” stated the company. “There is also tremendous stress on university and career centres by governments and parents to perform and show that the earned degree is worth its value.”
Kinobi counts top private universities, such as Singapore Management University, Singapore Institute of Management, and PSB Academy, among its partners.
As per the e-Conomy report 2021 by Google, TEMASEK, and Bain & Company, edutech in SEA demonstrated healthy growth potential in H1 2o21 with US$200 million in funding. However, scaling remains a core challenge as this sector requires a country-driven approach for education.
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ARTICLE WRITTEN BY: Jamillie Tran from e27
Kinobi is a part of our Batch 4 Global Innovation Alliance Indonesia program.
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