Thomas Massey thought it would take him at least a year to raise his first $50,000 for his employment- and networking-inspired tech startup inquireaboutme.
Turns out, he only needed two weeks.
Currently in its third quarter of operation, the Durham-based startup nicknamed “i.am” has received funding and praise in a fraction of the typical startup investment timeline “status quo.” The professional social media platform provides users with the opportunity to share and view personal references and reviews to utilize within the job market.
Massey, an NC Central grad who started the project in 2020 and has a background in marketing—he was the Marketing and Design Manager for Durham’s Herald-Sun newspaper—said he conceptualized the idea when he was struggling through a job search.
“I was constantly in the second and third rounds, but I really wasn’t crossing the hurdle,” he said.
He wished these desired companies could hear from his references and listen to testimonies about his skills and background without the awkwardness and ambiguity of cold-calling.
When he couldn’t find a platform that would easily allow his references to submit their stories to company recruiters, he decided to create his own.
With Massey’s tech, users can create a profile under one of six different prospect categories and invite professional references to film a video or write a recommendation to appear under their profile. When applying for jobs, the user can submit a link to their personal profile on i.am for recruiters to browse their references.
“From there, employers can actually see what people are saying about you,” Massey said.
Reference testimonies, either of people speaking or writing on a user’s behalf, occupy what Massey calls the user’s “newsfeed.” And employers can also use the platform by creating a job listing which users can directly submit references to for consideration.
The platform also allows users to upload and create their resumes, cover letters, and achievements similar to other networking websites like LinkedIn and Handshake, but with a focus on references. “But LinkedIn does not have a source when somebody can submit a video reference on your behalf,” Massey said.
He added that i.am is currently adding some AI features to aid people in writing their resumes or reference letters.
Massey said he knew his plan for i.am was more than just an idea when the first computer programming team he approached to help build the platform proposed equity shares right off the bat.
“It was then that I realized I had something,” Massey said.
Though he was unable to work with that specific tech company, Massey found a team of programmers to create the web and app versions of the platform. After “blueprinting” the platform and making it available for public use on the App Store and GooglePlay, Massey started reaching out to investors.
He quickly returned $50,000, and in his second investor round, he achieved an additional $50,000 in fewer than seven days. Several fellow NCCU grads are among his angel investors.
“It was pretty amazing how everything sort of came together,” he said.
Big plans for future
Massey has big plans for the future of his startup—even, someday, a potential IPO—but he knows that it’s a marathon, not a sprint: “We’re just trying to increase our user base and reach out to companies, organizations and universities that actually need references and sources to actually streamline efforts.”
Once the user base increases, Massey said the platform will eventually offer subscription options and will attract additional revenue through advertisements. His goal is to grow an audience of at least three million users.
Along with increasing the platform’s user base, Massey said the startup is also working on nailing down their pitch to emphasize the platform’s focus on references while also advertising its additional features.
“I like to think that you’ve got to exercise patience, you have to realize that things don’t happen overnight,” Massey said.
He hopes that eventually i.am can promote digital cards with a resume, cover letter and set of references as an uploadable PDF for job applications. “Nothing tops that,” Massey said. “And I’ve seen nothing like that.”
Currently, Massey is running the project full-time and is looking for a seed investment above $200,000 with hopes to then reach Series A. Holistically, he said he and his team are working to make the product mainstream.
“We’re almost there,” Massey said.