Why we’re [still] hiring during the pandemic

*SPOILER ALERT* This blog post contains messages of optimism! There’s no doubt that a transformation of the state of work is underway during the pandemic which has put the planet on pause, especially in hiring. But as countless businesses around the world put recruitment on hold and shed jobs, here at Starttech Ventures, we’re [still] hiring during the pandemic.

Why would we do that? Well it’s actually as much a question of our core principles and company culture (more on those later), as it is to do with our strategy, business model and how we operate.

You can check out our latest job openings here, by the way.

Job Openings

We live and do business with the mantra of capital efficiency. And because of this fundamental philosophy which is in practice day in and day out, we are in a position to go the extra mile when it’s absolutely needed. But, most of all, we play an active role in all of our portfolio companies, and our commitment to helping them weather any storms in a noise-free environment and continue to grow is our number one priority.

Before we get into more detail, we’d like to call on any game-changers out there who want to join one of our startups, scaleups – or one of our scaleups in the making. Check out our current openings and you could enjoy being part of a team that will support you all the way, regardless of the turbulence levels throughout the journey.

Hiring during the pandemic – the state of play

Right now hiring during the pandemic is in a state of…flux. And that’s being kind. There is unprecedented uncertainty over employment. Unemployment rates are increasing at an incredible pace, hiring is slowing down or stopping completely, while working from home is becoming the norm for virtually the entire, global workforce.

In the USA for example, a decade of jobs growth came to a standstill last month as employers shed over 700,000 jobs. The country’s unemployment rate also rose to 4.4% in the largest one-month jump since 1975, according to data from the US Department of Labor.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The data was collected early in the month of March, and the situation has become far worse as the number of coronavirus cases have surged, while more lockdowns are in place. To say that these are strange and unsettling times is an understatement.

Perhaps the most worrying of all is the trend regarding hiring. Job listings on Indeed, the biggest job hiring site in the US by traffic, are down 20 percent vs. last year. An early indicator of the future job situation, which can and most probably will lead to more drastic measures such as layoffs.

It’s widely agreed that the effects of the pandemic on our working and social lives will be far-reaching.

As you were, the Starttech way

While it may not be a case of business as usual in many ways for lots of companies right now, especially in the retail, travel and entertainment industries, we’re staying optimistic. And at least where hiring is concerned, it’s a case of as you were. We keep hiring during the pandemic as usual, and we’ve got good reasons to. Starttech is all about helping our startups and scaleups to grow. We’re dedicated to that goal 24/7 and it’s one of the reasons why we set up the #ScaleUpGreece initiative.

Anyway, to get back on track, we’ve set the groundwork to be able to do this by focusing on capital efficiency, early profitability, honing in on unit economics. The way we operate in every facet of our business is based on the philosophy of right-action, right-time. Not on chasing unicorns, or the“next Facebook”. We prefer to be pragmatic dreamers and focus on reality rather than grand illusions, on health before great wealth. Because if you’re looking for a recession-proof startup, a unicorn is not the place to be as an employee.

All of the above has seen us arrive at a very good place on our purposeful journey. And so that’s why we are loud and proud about our optimism.

A lot is currently being written about startup automation, and introducing more automation in businesses generally. Think of it as an absolute prerequisite of growth. As automation aficionados ourselves, we’re placed well on that front. But still, we need top talented humans to run those moving, automated parts, of course!

Why you should join our entrepreneurial ecosystem

Does all this sound good to you? We hope it does. It means that we’re on the same wavelength. There are many reasons to come and join us, but first of all, the most important one of all is our companies. All of them specialize in B2B SaaS products. But that’s not the only thing they have in common. All are part of our authentic collaborative startup venture building culture – or are scaleup graduates of it.

Here’s a brief breakdown of our current portfolio to get your teeth into. Check them out, their websites, and the exceptional products that they’re building as they look to grow and scale up.

Let’s break this down

Here’s a brief breakdown of our current portfolio to get your teeth into. Check them out, their websites, and the exceptional products that they’re building as they look to grow and scale up.

Epignosis

A bona fide Greek scaleup success story, Epignosis was founded in 2012. It develops TalentLMS, one of the leading SaaS LMS platforms worldwide with more than 5,000 customers around the world. The secret of their success boils down to a great product-market fit, and a brilliant business model.

Yodeck

A next-generation digital signage service, born and raised on the Cloud and suitable for any industry and any business size.

Stackmasters

An information technology and cloud computing specialist offering a range of IT infrastructure, managed cloud and DevOps services for businesses.

Veturilo

An affordable fleet management solution for small to medium-sized business.

DreamClass

Class management software service for all types and sizes of educational organizations.

CloudAgency (Dropped)

Online portfolio management for Insurance Agents.

ScienceTraining

A tailor-made corporate fitness program for businesses which involves needs-based personal training virtually, one-to-on, and on demand.

Testilio.io (now, TraitForward)

An online psychometric testing solution provider which serves the continuously growing market for psychometric testing and questionnaire publishing worldwide.

Qurio (started 2021)

A rich toolkit of solutions covering each aspect of audience engagement activities in an innovative and robust way that helps do more with less.

What we offer

Initial investment tickets in the range of $50K to $100K. If more capital is needed and the company performs as expected, we re-invest further.
Access to our international network to actively support further fundraising from other sources.
In addition to the cash investment, our portfolio companies go through our Venture Building Program, where our team of experts guide them in executing lean startup methodologies, customer development, agile project management and product development efficiency. The aim? To create the best possible product at the lowest possible cost, and in the shortest time possible.
Startups receive active guidance, coaching and mentoring from the Venture Building Program’s team. This is made up of professionals who support branding, UX/UI design and development, growth marketing, content storytelling and project management.
There are also additional shared administrative, consulting and auxiliary resources such as business administration, recruitment, finance and accounting and IT support to fully support and fulfill our early stage businesses’ needs.
It also goes without saying that portfolio companies have unlimited free access to our library and labs and, obviously, free co-working space.
We also take well-being seriously, as well as lifelong learning. That’s why we offer free language classes, various courses, fitness classes and endurance training, free fresh salads and fruit, and the Starttech Runners Club.
Last but not least, there’s Athens. We feel extremely lucky to be based in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with an unparalleled history and culture. To top it off, the city has an exciting entrepreneurial ecosystem which is getting noticed.
Real employee engagement, which is something vital for Founders and all of their team members

Embracing remote working

If all that sounds good, then we’d be happy to hear from anyone who matches the openings we have available in terms of character as much as qualifications. Right now, while we continue hiring during the pandemic, Starttech and all of our portfolio companies are currently in remote working mode.

That means that anyone joining our teams in the coming weeks will be working from home, even though remote working goes against our philosophy in general – for a number of reasons. The safety of our team members at this time is our number one priority. And so we’ll give you a warm welcome from our screens but we have everything in place to ensure that you feel fully on-boarded and will already have great things to work on from your remote location. Last but not least, don’t worry. We’ll be sure to give you the grand tour of our facilities, and welcome you with open arms when we can. Hopefully by then our new renovations that are taking place at our offices will even be complete.

With that said, it’s definitely a strange time for everyone in the world right now. No less for ourselves. We are still hiring during the pandemic after all. That is down to who we are. We remain positive, stoical and ambitious. And most of all, we remain optimistic.

We remain optimistic

That’s why we continue to build on our solid foundations. And we look forward to welcoming all newcomers who we hope will strengthen our talented teams, and share our passion and values as we move forward together on life’s journey with purpose, focus, and a healthy dose of fun along the way.

Check out the latest job openings at Starttech’s portfolio companies here.