Application from the 2015 cohort.
Tell us a bit about yourself
Written information and/or link to video
I'm a product designer with experience in marketing and growth. I've worked at some top-tier startups like Shyp, started a few self-sustaining startups of my own like Sprout Products, and am passionate about ops efficiency and sociology. I'm currently on a (up-to-7-year-long) leave of absence from Babson College, living in San Francisco with some incredibly talented peers, and working day and night on my venture, OnboardIQ.
Profiles
Links to LinkedIn, Github, AngelList, etc.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjeremycai LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeremyhcai
What project(s) have you worked on?
Links to projects or videos.
- Honest Snaps: First app using Snapcash for monetization. #2 on Product Hunt, donated proceeds to Women Who Code, pulled by Snapchat.
- Gravity: Won 2nd at Facebook Global Hackathon Finals, #3 on Product Hunt - makes sharing contacts suck less.
- Sprout Products: Founder, currently advisor - Redacted in sales, team of 5
- Tacklebox: Founder, currently advisor - Winner of Best Use of Parse API at Cal Hack, launched page and received 1600+ signups, received organic press coverage
What do you want to work on over the next 2 years?
If you're not sure, tell us about your interests, or what problems you'd love to work on solving, or who you want to help.
OnboardIQ is an applicant tracking system for on-demand companies (i.e. Uber/Instacart).Today, our primary software product makes screening applicants easier for the recruiter by automating the cumbersome tasks: filtering out unqualified applicants, scheduling/rescheduling interviews, running background checks, document e-signing and sending reminders.Eventually, we’d like to integrate with all potential service providers that an on-demand / contractor would ever consider using (Checkr, Backgrounds Online, Docusign, Zen99, Zenpayroll, Benefits), and make a free, white-labeled auxiliary product to enable anyone to build a company around independent workers. Since launching our private beta in November, we have 14 customers like SpoonRocket, ZIRX.
Why spend your time on this? Or what about this is important to you?
We're building tools that lets companies efficiently create jobs. 40% of working Americans will be independent freelancers by 2020, and the tools that companies currently use to screen those jobs are clunky, pricy, and simply don't work. The on-demand economy is growing, but the tools to power it simply aren't.I personally experienced first hand how frustrating it was by working with the operations team at Shyp. Even in such an experienced ops team, the screening and onboarding process was still a slow mess of service providers (background checks, documents, etc) and spreadsheets.
In essence, the better OnboardIQ gets, the better companies can quickly screen and hire applicants. The faster companies get at this process, the more money they save. The more they save, the more people they can hire. We're literally creating jobs.
We really think this is a unique opportunity. It’s not often that people think about the way people work in a large, holistic way - OnboardIQ is at the forefront of an infrastructural movement to power the new, growing on-demand economy.
Do you have any collaborators or cofounders? If yes, who are they?
I'm cofounding OnboardIQ with Keith Ryu, a software engineer with a finance background. He has been building HR software for the past three years and has consistently run into problems with on-demand companies complaining about traditional solutions not moving at a fast-enough pace and handling large volumes. Whatever experience I lack in the HR space, Keith has years of knowledge to fill and is well-connected to key players in service providers.
Do you know anyone in our community?
If yes, who? Have you participated in any incubators or other programs to further your project?
I live with and have become quite close friends with many of the '14 and ‘13 fellows. I'm also very close with a large amount of the Summit group - we help each other out professionally, making intros to investors / pass over qualified leads. I work at the Thiel Capital office around once a week.
OnboardIQ was accepted into the Y-Combinator Summer '15 batch.
How did you hear about us (check all that apply)?
- From a current Thiel Fellow, Summiter, or Fellowship Mentor
- WIRED's Teen Technorati web series
- At a hackathon
- News media: TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, or blog/online article
- Social media: Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- An event that a Fellow, staff member, or mentor spoke at
- From a friend
Interested in?
- Fellowship
- Summit
- Internships/Hiring Opportunities