Janice Omadeke set out to build a company that improves employee engagement, workplace relationships and helps companies attract and retain talented and diverse people.
And since she brought her startup, The Mentor Method, to Austin a few years back, she has both scaled her early-stage company and become a tech and civic leader who has taken stages at many of Austin's marquee innovation events to discuss building inclusive teams and helping founders of color get better access to venture funding.
Now she's poised to start a new chapter, announcing Sept. 21 that The Mentor Method is being acquired by a New York company run by one of her heroes: Tiffany Dufu, founder and CEO of women's training organization The Cru.
Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but in an interview Omadeke was joyous.
"I'm so proud of the outcome. I am so proud of the journey," she said. "I've learned so much about myself as a woman, as an entrepreneur, as a leader, and every challenge, every win, every person that has played a part in this ... it's been absolutely incredible."
She said the deal is especially meaningful because she has admired Dufu, who owns The Cru, for years.
Omadeke moved to Austin from Washington, D.C in 2017 and launched The Mentor Method. After some initial funding, last year the startup raised a $1.4 million seed round. At the time, that made her one of only 93 Black women in the U.S. who reported having raised more than $1 million in venture backing.
The startup raised a total of $1.6 million prior to the acquisition. Its investors included Tim Draper's Draper Associates, Google, Elsewhere Partners founder Chris Pacitti, Backstage Capital, founded by Arlan Hamilton, Alumni Ventures Group, MATH Venture Partners and Sorenson Impact Fund. Additional investors have included 1863 Ventures, Techstars Austin, John Thornton, Bryce Miller and others.
In 2021, she won one of Austin Business Journal's Best CEO Awards, as decided by a panel of past winners.
Omadeke said the key to her company and its algorithm has been using an inclusive lens to match employees with mentors and having a deep understanding of the experience many underrepresented professionals experience in large corporation as well as in startups.
It's not yet exactly clear what Omadeke will do next, though she said she'll take a breather for some traveling and writing. But she won't be sticking with the company post acquisition.
"I'm not leaving Austin. There's more work to be done in this city," she said. "Everything changed once I moved to Austin. And with this next chapter, I'm looking forward to exploring how I can continue advancing the city and advancing the voices of those that are overlooked and underrepresented on a national level."
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