At the start of the pandemic, the world not only came to a standstill but also realised that education need not be in person. While online learning was already a thing, the pandemic gave it a boost and welcomed all of us to the world of hybrid learning.
If the wave of edtech startups raising millions of dollars aimed to skill students and teenagers, there is also a subset of startups bridging the talent gap with the same model. One such startup is Amsterdam-based Winc Academy, which offers online courses for anyone to learn in-demand digital skills.
Started in 2018 by Carla Snepvangers, Joran van Aart, and Marijn Pijnenborg, Winc Academy addresses the very fact that every job is now a tech job. Digital skills are no longer a need but a necessity. If big tech is upskilling its employees, Winc Academy is doing the same at the grassroots level and its story is enlightening to say the least.
Addressing the skills gap
As serial entrepreneurs in tech startups, the co-founders of Winc Academy were able to recognise the difficulty faced by employers trying to attract talented tech people. They noticed companies fighting for the same talent at the same time while many people had jobs that would disappear within a few years.