Summary
Skilllab is a social business developing technology-based solutions to empower the integration of refugees into local labour markets. Skilllab develops software technology that captures the employable skills of disadvantaged job seekers such as refugees and migrants and matches their skills to local labour markets. They are motivated by a belief that the dignity of independence through work is a fundamental right that functioning labour markets should provide.
Investment thesis
In May 2019, Skilllab B.V. won the Google AI Impact Challenge, receiving financial support to further develop their AI-based technology that assesses refugees’ skills and competencies, linking that skillset with sustainable occupation profiles. Following they will participate in a program with specialists from Google’s Launchpad Accelerator. This support provides Skilllab with a unique opportunity to accelerate their growth in the near future. They have already piloted their software with refugee job seekers in several different European cities.
Potential refugee impact
With Skilllab’s skill assessment mobile app, refugees identify and document their professional skills fast and in their native languages and explore professional career pathways they could pursue in the labour market. The application automatically matches an individual’s skillset to each of the 3,000 occupations recognized in the European skills, competency, and qualifications framework. In this process, Skilllab provides a critical service to refugees who often struggle to identify suitable work opportunities in new geographies.
Management
Ulrich Scharf – Founder & Managing Director
Karim Bin-Humam – Director of Operations
Structure
Skilllab B.V. is a mission-driven software company based out of Amsterdam, Netherlands.