Rungwise

The problem

Millions of workers need new skills as automation reshapes their jobs, yet most training programs are disconnected from the roles that are actually hiring. People finish courses only to discover that employers want different skills, while companies struggle to fill positions that could be filled by retrained workers. The gap between training and hiring wastes time, money and potential on both sides.

Why now

Automation and artificial intelligence are reshaping jobs faster than traditional education can adapt. Governments and employers are investing heavily in reskilling, but they want proof that programs lead to real jobs. Data from job marketplaces and hiring platforms now makes it possible to understand in-demand skills with unusual precision. At the same time, employers facing talent shortages are more open to hiring candidates from non-traditional backgrounds. Rungwise emerged when funding, employer demand and technology aligned around outcome-based workforce training.

The founders

Jordan Ellis led workforce programs at a large nonprofit and saw firsthand how many people completed training without landing a job. Fatima Noor built recommendation systems at a jobs marketplace and understood how to match skills with demand. They started Rungwise after a pilot program in Atlanta where they placed nearly every participant into a job by designing the training backwards from real openings.

Why we invested

Malik backed Rungwise because its placement numbers, not its course catalogue, were the product. The platform mapped each learner’s existing skills to open roles, built personalised learning paths and partnered directly with employers who committed to interviewing graduates. That model aligned everyone’s incentives around outcomes rather than enrolments. Malik saw a team with deep empathy for learners and a rigorous approach to measuring success.

How we helped

After investing, we helped Rungwise build partnerships with employers in logistics, healthcare and technology through introductions across our network. Malik worked with the founders on a revenue model that blends employer fees with public workforce funding. Our platform team supported their expansion into new cities and helped them publish outcome data that strengthened relationships with workforce boards.

Where they are now

Rungwise now partners with employers and workforce boards to retrain and place thousands of people each year. Graduates report meaningful wage increases, and employers report higher retention than with traditional hiring channels. The company recently launched tools that help employers identify internal candidates for reskilling before they hire externally. Jordan still meets each new cohort in person on their first day. For a company that started with a single cohort in Atlanta, the scale of that impact still surprises the founders.