Hubert Dagbo and Jide Osan Launch Initiative To Help Diverse Tech Professionals Impacted By Layoffs Find New Jobs

In 2021, Equipt was launched by its founders for this very purpose, initially as a talent marketplace that connects job seekers with employers through learning events.

By 2022, their vision had evolved from a marketplace to a professional development social network.

Their latest effort centers on the Equipt for Success initiative, which was triggered by the recent massive layoffs in the tech industry.

This initiative is aimed at creating a global hub for open-source knowledge to help the global workforce achieve their full potential, as per information provided to AfroTech.

Over 10,000 members of this growing community take part in live, interactive 60-minute workshops with industry leaders and recruiters as well as teams of 30 companies and counting.

Equipt also offers:

• Resume and interview best practices
• Portfolio or code reviews
• Advice and support for diverse professionals or immigrants
• Career skills workshops

“We started this during the pandemic, when all this hiring was booming, especially around diversity,” Dagbo told AfroTech in an interview. “Then in the last few months when things really took a turn, we realized our community actually wants to help each other. So we pivoted what we were doing by launching this initiative and saying, ‘If you want to help with resumes, if you’re a recruiter that’s actively hiring, come to our platform and engage this diverse talent that’s now facing layoffs or struggling to go through the job process. That was really the catalyst over the last few months.”

“I think one thing that we’ve discovered is community is something that’s super important to us” Osan added. “The best way for us to continue to build this community with different professionals is to provide them with the right sort of skills and content that they’re looking for, but also things that they could advise on as well.”

What’s more, with what they are building, they aim to prioritize community building over self-promotion.

“LinkedIn today, it’s all about connecting with profiles and articles and posts,” Dagbo explained. “What we’re building is something where people can come together with learning and then be able to connect afterwards for recruitment and really change how they network professionally.”

As a result of the founders’ effort, they told AfroTech that some remarkable partnerships have been secured, including CapitalOne, LinkedIn, Nike, Accenture, Google, and YouTube.

In addition, Queensborough Community College and Codeup boot camp have been added to their list of partners and will offer the Equipt platform to their students.

As they look toward the future, the partners are raising capital to launch a mobile platform and integrate more features.

To join the professional network, visit joinequipt.com, where you can create a profile, register for events, and apply for jobs with partner companies.