Herizon, a Finnish non-profit, helps 100+ immigrants land tech jobs in 2023

This year, Herizon, a non-profit organization based in Finland, has already assisted over 100 highly educated immigrants in securing employment within the tech industry.

With over half a million immigrants in Finland, where 34% hold higher education degrees, a remarkable pool of untapped talent resides within this diverse demographic. Despite this, many face challenges securing roles matching their qualifications, often settling for jobs outside their expertise, like cleaners or taxi drivers.

It has been a very painful journey applying to 120 positions from intern to junior level, all failing to reach the interview phase. Despite earning two master’s degrees and 18 years of marketing experience, I can’t land even an internship in Finland.

In the words of a double Master’s degree holder.

By providing networks, support in recognizing one’s strengths, and the right tools for navigating the Finnish employment market, people with multicultural backgrounds can achieve wonders. The challenge is that these resources aren’t easily available – and we’re committed to solving that.

explains Mari Luukkainen, Herizon’s Founder and Venture Capital investor.

Furthermore, Finland’s economic growth is essentially tied to the contributions of international talent.

Herizon’s growing community consists of hundreds of talented, skilled professionals actively working towards their next career move.

By joining Herizon’s community, members gain access to free training in Growth Hacking, a mentorship program, Finnish language sessions, and events arranged in collaboration with industry professionals and companies such as Maki.vc, Solita & KONE, and most importantly, match talent with companies seeking new employees.

Furthermore, Herizon’s LinkedIn Bootcamp has received considerable gratitude from community members. It has now been extended to organizations like the City of Helsinki’s Spouse Program and Slush 2023 volunteers, as many program participants are actively seeking their next career move.

The LinkedIn Bootcamp is designed to teach participants how to make the most of the platform, enabling them to take effective steps in their job search.

As a non-profit operating with the spirit of a startup, Herizon has set a bold goal: to secure jobs for 10,000 people across the Nordics by the end of 2027. The team behind Herizon brings years of experience, including the VC world, scaling people operations at Supermetrics, and growing the largest home cleaning company, Freska.

They have identified efficient and effective ways to connect people with work. They are now exploring more scalable approaches to reach their goal and provide jobs for people from underprivileged groups.