User:Mattdlhey/sandbox

= inploi - the jobs network =

inploi (https://www.inploi.me) is a United Kingdom-based technology start-up. The company was founded by Matthew de la Hey and Alexander Hanson-Smith in August 2015 and launched the beta version of its platform in July 2016. The platform connects people looking for work with employers seeking staff, with a specific focus on the service economy, and is attempting to disrupt the job board and employment agency models of recruitment. A 2016 TechCrunch article described it as a "jobs app that wants to kill off the service industry CV". The company received its first external investment in February 2016.

The inploi Platform
inploi is an online marketplace in which employers and job seekers are able to interact in order to find employment and staff. The inploi platform handles both short-term, one-off assignments and connects people to long term permanent roles.

Website and mobile applications
he platform is currently accessible via a website and an iOS application (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/inploi-jobs-in-london/id1132512470?mt=8), with an Android version slated as "coming soon".

LinkedIn-like profiles & algorithmic matching
inploi is a LinkedIn like platform on which users create online profiles representing their education, training, and employment histories. Job seekers are also able to upload a short introductory video which forms part of their profile.

Employers sign-up to the platform and create an employer profile whereafter they are able to list and post job openings. Required details include the position they are hiring for, the level of pay, the geographic location, the start date, the geographical location, and other metrics.

inploi uses data from job seeker profiles and job posts as part of the algorithmic matching of people to roles they are best suited for. Job seekers are further able to filter opportunities according to their preferences.

Inbuilt chat functionality
Marketplace participants are able to chat with each other via inploi's in-built chat function- inChat- in order to arrange interviews, trial shifts, and employment details.

Stripe payments integration
Payment for short term positions can be made through integrated Stripe payment functionality. There is also a mutual review system.

Sectoral focus
inploi is focussed on the service economy and specifically on sectors with significant labour turnover. The platform is currently operating in the hospitality sector, which suffers from high staff turnover and low retention rates.

History & Founding
The company was founded by friends Matthew de la Hey and Alex Hanson-Smith reportedly as a result of the challenges they faced trying to find work during their university vacations, a process which they found "time-consuming and frustrating."

Founders
de la Hey is a South African and was educated at Stellenbosch University and the University of Oxford where he was a member of New College. He is a Mandela Rhodes Scholar and a Weidenfeld Scholar. Hanson-Smith was educated at the University of Edinburgh.

Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2016
The company's founders were invited by the U.S State Department to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit held at Stanford University in June 2016, where inploi was described as "the UK's next hit mobile app". de la Hey represented the company on a speaker lineup that included Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Uber founder Travis Kalanick, Airbnb founder Brian Chesky, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, the president of the United States Barack Obama , and the U.S secretary of state John Kerry.

Sharing Economy UK conference
The founders were invited to present at the Sharing Economy UK conference in 2016 where they spoke on the topic "Sharing our way to prosperity?" .

Commentary
The company and its founders have provided commentary to the press on topics including UK politics and policy, founding and running a startup company    , and frequently publish thought leadership articles.

WorkMatch controversy and threatened trademark infringement
Prior to being named inploi the company operated under the name WorkMatch. The company pitched at Enterprise Nation's Start-up 2016 conference under this name and were voted the winners by a panel of investors. The company attempted to trademark this name but withdrew the application following a challenge of trademark infringement. The company was subsequently rebranded and renamed inploi.