Located in Vancouver, deepND helps their customers hire better hourly workers and keep them longer using artificial intelligence.
Currently in entrepreneurship@UBC’s HATCH program, an accelerator program that Innovate BC helps fund, deepND has successfully completed their proof of concept pilot and are turning their attention to negotiating paid partnerships with early customers.
We caught up with Brianna Blaney, Founder + CEO of deepND, to discover the impact the HATCH accelerator program has had and what’s next for her company.
Q: What do you do, and why are you passionate about it?
Brianna: deepND enables predictive hiring and retention for hourly workers. We work with our customer’s data to identify the profiles of their top performers, people who perform best and stay longest. Our technology is purpose-built for companies that hire high volumes of hourly workers, including retailers, restaurants and call centres.
For the past 7 years I have worked in the recruiting industry, helping hundreds of employers successfully hire thousands of people across North America. What I have learned is that hiring is hard – and keeping the right people is even harder. We built deepND to help solve this problem.
Q: At what stage was your startup when you entered the entrepreneur@ubc’s HATCH accelerator? What problems or business challenges were you trying to solve?
Brianna: We were first introduced to HATCH after meeting one of their EIRs through the Forum of Women Entrepreneurs E-Series program. She generously took us through a one-on-one version of Lean Launch Pad, focused on concept validation. After completing over 150 customer discovery interviews, we pitched to join HATCH at the concept stage.
Q: What made entreprenuership@UBC’s HATCH stand out from other options?
Brianna: The mentorship and programming were two standout features. Since joining HATCH, I have been blown away by the active support and engagement of the EIRs, EXIRs, and mentors in HATCH. Their commitment to helping their ventures succeed shines through in their programming - including providing ongoing mentorship, customer introductions, talent, office space, investor exposure, specialized support and more.
Q: What are some updates or successes you can share since deepND participated in the program?
Brianna: HATCH has played a critical role in our successful development, including introductions to advisors, talent, and customers. Over the past year, HATCH mentors have made dozens of introductions to potential customers, including joining me on a trip to Nashville for a discovery meeting with a significant potential customer. In fact, we closed our proof of concept pilot customer through an introduction from one of our first advisors – who we met through one of our EIRs. Perhaps most notably, I met my technical co-founder through HATCH!
Q: What are some milestones you’re most looking forward to in the year ahead?
Brianna: Following the successful completion of our proof of concept pilot, we are focused on negotiating paid partnerships with early customers. We plan to raise in early 2020 to help accelerate development and fuel the customer acquisition process. Currently, we are looking to connect with potential customers who are ready to realize the business impact of solving their retention problems. We are also eager to connect with advisors and strategic investors who want to help us grow quickly.
If you’re a B.C. entrepreneur looking to connect with business experts and mentors, you can access our accelerator programs in ten locations throughout the province. From Prince George to Vancouver to Kelowna and beyond, you can launch your idea from anywhere.
