Martha Hernandez, madeBOS

Martha Hernández, Founder of madeBOS, brought her career in talent acquisition to the forefront in order to create a mobile tool that helps users develop their professional skills and secure a job. Since madeBOS’ last campaign on Republic, the company has advanced its technology to offer machine learning features that scalably tailor career plans to each user.

What is your business, and what problem you are solving?

madeBOS is the talent industry’s first, AI-driven, career pathing platform. Our mission is to democratize career pathing and empower each user to drive their own development, particularly for entry level and low wage jobs.

The madeBOS platform is unique in that it delivers a configurable and customizable solution to a company’s short and long-term talent strategic goals. It also uses machine learning to curate attainable career paths that increase diversity, inclusion, engagement, retention, and performance.

What inspired you to start your company?

Manual, informal development plans based on the manager’s ability to identify and develop talent are inefficient and often biased. As a leader in talent acquisition and talent management, I’ve witnessed a transparency gap between internal applicants and managers. In result, thousands of amazing, talented employees are driven away from potential professional growth opportunities.  

Who is in your core team? How did your team come together?

Alongside me, I have Juventino Mejia, my CTO and Co-Founder. Juventino holds a Computer Science degree from MIT. He’s also a former Apple engineer with 10+ years of development and management experience across a diverse set of industries and platforms within Apple and other Silicon Valley tech companies.

Like me, Juventino is a second-generation Mexican-American who is passionate about utilizing technology to help people reach their highest potential. We both come from humble backgrounds and are the children of field workers from communities that lacked resources and representation in the technology space.

What’s your edge over your competition?

Many career pathing solutions are either independent of employer influence or driven entirely by the employer. At madeBOS, we bridge the two. Our proprietary technology, based on proven methodologies, uses machine learning to create an individualized plan that helps users develop skills and ultimately get placed in a suitable job.

I committed myself to the mission of making a positive impact on disproportionately impoverished communities.

Ever experienced a “life changing moment?”

I lived in Oakland in the ’90s. At the time, there were very few Latinos and we experienced significant marginalization. On a daily basis, my schoolmates threatened to steal my belongings, and occasionally succeeded. One day, I even lost my shoes. It was lunchtime and I did not know what was happening but suddenly all the Latinos started running, leaving the school premises. Those that stayed behind were beaten. We ran many blocks and finally made it to my friend’s home. Minutes later I realized I lost the only shoes I had.

Experiences like these led me to become aware of my responsibility as a human being. I committed myself to the mission of making a positive impact on disproportionately impoverished communities.

Why Republic? Why equity crowdfunding?

Republic and madeBOS have similar missions – we both want to democratize opportunities. My first campaign on Republic was game-changing for madeBOS. Although I did not have the social capital to raise a pre-seed round from family and friends that could give me $10k+ each, Republic gave my friends, family, and an entire community the opportunity to invest for as little as $50. 

What are your interests and passions outside of your company?

Mariachi Music! I love to write and perform songs and corridos. 

What’s something you wish you knew more about?

I wish I knew more about the world, specifically about other cultures other languages. I am in love with humanity and wish I could be a better citizen.