Workforce development systems have always presented challenges for government organizations, Pairin founder Michael Simpson said.
Whether it was inflexible search parameters or issues with data transfer, the offerings never quite served the users like they were intended to. And, in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic only accelerated those challenges, as more people sought help and resources in trying times.
Through partnerships with the government and education organizations in Colorado and Virginia, Simpson and Pairin have developed a solution they hope will elevate the careers and lives of their users.
To bolster that goal, Pairin announced on Jan. 5 the official close of its Series A investment round, totaling $4.4 million.
This round builds upon the $2.1 million raised in June via social impact investors such as New Markets Venture Partners, Juvo Ventures, JFFLabs, Village Capital and Voqal, with additional funding from existing investors and new investor Potencia Ventures.
These additional funds will be used to deliver new features and functionality for Pairin’s My Journey workforce development platform. My Journey helps governments, workforce agencies and education institutions support those looking to reskill, find a new career or get connected to helpful information and services.
As Covid-19 impacted so many people across the country, Simpson said Pairin emerged as a key resource for workforce development.
“We’re one of those companies that is well suited to help during this time and we did that,” he said.
My Journey provides an application layer on top of workforce systems to help providers more efficiently deliver services to the people they serve, while collecting the critical information they need for their systems of record. Pairin’s framework helps direct individuals to explore everything from education and careers to unemployment services and wellness activities.
The funds from this round will primarily be focused on building out Pairin’s nearly 30-person team, Simpson said. To date, Pairin has worked with local government and education organizations including Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Colorado Department of Higher Education and Colorado Workforce Development Council.
“This thing that we built, largely because Colorado’s Workforce Development had a vision that was bigger than any product that currently existed, it redefined our company,” Simpson said.
