You can call or text Ben at (808) 425-8334
Ben Ancheta made a major life decision somewhere around Cleveland, Ohio. Yes…you read that correctly.
A local boy who recently graduated from college on the East Coast, Ben packed his bags for a cross-country move. It was about to be a very, very long drive.
After the move, he planned to start his job at a major consulting firm. The car was loaded, and he was ready for the next chapter 📗
He was on the road, somewhere in Ohio, when he got the phone call.
On the other end of the line was Ben’s friend, the founder of a startup trying to change the way people are hired.
The friend’s request to Ben was clear: Change your life plans and join my startup.
Small kine crazy idea.
Drop everything, move in with 4 other guys, and work 15+ hours every day. No one would be that crazy, right?
Turns out, Ben is that crazy.
Fast forward a few months, and Ben is a founding engineer at the startup called Sorce. A team of five guys from different backgrounds—all trying to kill the resume.
I had a chance to talk story with Ben. Here’s what I found:
The “startup life” pictured below ⬇️
What is Sorce?
“We have this app that's like Tinder for jobs. So you basically can boot it up, upload your resume, add some other information, and then you can swipe right and left on jobs.”
Ben’s pitch goes like this:
Hiring is expensive
Resumes don’t capture everything about a job candidate
Plus, manually sorting through hundreds of resumes is not efficient for employers
At the end of the day, what matters is that employers get the best candidate and job seekers find the best job
So, the team built a new system.
Users add their information to the Sorce app. Then, their system analyzes the candidate’s qualities and matches them to the best job openings. From there, all they have to do is swipe.
For employers, Sorce promises to deliver ideal candidates within 48 hours.
How it works
The Sorce team crammed into a car 🚗
I was skeptical. Why change the resume? Do people even want to “swipe” for jobs?
To my initial surprise, more people are saying “yes!”
The Sorce team has already attracted 400,000 users (500 in Hawaiʻi) and is aiming to reach 2 million by the end of the year.
What it means for Hawai‘i
Ben believes that Sorce can level the playing field for local people. Many leave the state to find better work opportunities. Sorce can pair people with the best jobs—both remotely and based right at home.
In other words, it will help the world see Hawaiʻi as more than a vacation spot. Instead, Ben believes it will create exposure for the local talent we already have.
I asked Ben what he learned over the past few months. Here’s his answer:
“Put yourself in the place where you’ll find the most success.”
Ben wants to grow Sorce, then grow it more. Soon enough, he will return home, and he will bring with him a passion, a drive, and the experience to bring more opportunities for others.
1 Takeaway from my conversation with Ben
Local people ARE CREATING the startups of the future.
I have to catch myself. I often see new developments and innovations in the news and automatically assume the leaders are from the mainland. The truth is, there are local people on the front lines of the next startups. We just have to look for them.
 | A guest post by
|