Evergrad an online platform which connects ambitious graduates with fast growing small business
by Startacus Admin
Dan Manzi and George Penman are both Startacus members and most importantly the Founders over at Evergrad a, coming-very-soon, online platform which aims to connect ambitious graduates with fast growing small businesses. We asked Dan to tell us all about their journey and Evergrad, just a few days before their platform goes live...Over to Dan to tell all...
"18 months serving on a large graduate scheme got me thinking, why is this the working ideal that we, from a young age, are taught to aspire to? I remembered the day of my job offer, I was excited, ready to forge a career with the big boys, to show them what I had to offer.
However, once I was there, the realities of working for a big company became clear. I was one of many graduates, many expendable employees, expected to do what I was told and rest assured that I was making a difference. At the same time some of my friends were working in smaller firms, the passion for their companies and their work was obvious. This got me wondering, why didn’t anyone approach me with these types of jobs at university? This question led to lots of mind-numbing research and from it Evergrad was brought to life,
Evergrad.com is an online platform which connects ambitious graduates exclusively with fast growing small businesses. We do this by removing the middle man, the traditional recruitment agent, and replacing them with an online platform which truly showcases both graduates’ and employers’ personalities. We do this through a mixture of online profiles, video CVs, social media integration and an innovative matching 
system. We offer every type of employment, ranging from work experience to full time employment and we hope that being a low cost online platform will put graduate recruitment within reach of even the smallest micro-businesses and start-ups.
I am writing this roughly a week before Evergrad’s launch date and already our team has been on a rollercoaster. We have produced a great product, got employers and students interested and signed up to an idea which they haven’t yet 
seen and learnt many of the seemingly infinite skills we will need to continue developing our product. More interestingly to me, we have listened to advice on the many and varied reasons why we are going to fail, to name a few; it’s too easy everyone can do it, it’s too hard it will never work, the market has peaked, the market is stagnating, I’ve seen something like it on dragons den before. Needless to say I have learned to take these well intentioned analyses with a pinch of salt but still look for the things that make sense and challenge my beliefs.
Evergrad is entering a crowded market with an innovative way of looking at things. It’s scary - we’ve been told it can’t work, yet we stick by our founding logic that there is a problem, our students aren't employed, and our small businesses aren’t finding the young talent they are looking for. I know Evergrad can help solve this problem, we are looking for partners who would like to join us, visit our website, contact us and follow our journey. Remember ‘most bestsellers are surprise bestsellers, because there's no sure thing, at least not where we want to look for it.’.
Cheers Dan and we wish Dan and George all the best on their exciting startup journey.
If like Dan, you would like to tell your startup story on Startacus, then firstly make sure you are a signed up member, and secondly, give us a shout!
If you like what you see here on Startacus, why not become a member of our growing community? It's free! And you'll get all this - exclusive access to our Business Toolkit, discounts and offers galore for your business via our member only business deals, the chance to network and connect with loads of fellow self-starters, and maybe even become our celebrated 'Self-Starter of the Week' and tell the world your startup tale! Join right here for free...
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Starting a business can be a lot of hard work, so here's a few ways to avoid burnout and find a healthy work life balance.
At one-day event Ideation NI Thon, students will get the chance to solve global and local sustainability, environmental, city and health problems.
NI startup ESTHER, a peer-2-peer giving platform allowing charitable donors to give money directly to people living in poverty, head to New York for a 4-day fact finding mission.
The lowdown on how an Australian startup generated global sales for their innovative product, "weighted blankets"...
At 82% the UK takes 4th place in the list of countries being most ready for automation and robotics, whilst 30% of UK population’s jobs are at risk of automation.
The innovative game, eQuoo that helps users build their emotional fitness and thereby help fight their mental illness
The London-based femtech startup that is using AI and genetic testing to provide a tailored oral contraception service for women
Recent research by Starling bank shows that in 2019, women earned up to £12,319 less per year than their male colleagues of the same age and within the same industry
Brandtech group, You & Mr Jones, has invested in ethical video startup Good-Loop who have closed a US $1.6m seed funding round.
2019 saw celebrities contribute to start-up investments in record numbers, surpassing a previous spike in 2015.
Published on: 26th April 2014
.png)
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Ideation NI Thon at NI Science Festival sets out to solve global issues 17th Jan 2020 At one-day event Ideation NI Thon, students will get the chance to solve global and local sustainability, environmental, city and health problems.
- NI startup ESTHER takes flight to New York 16th Jan 2020 NI startup ESTHER, a peer-2-peer giving platform allowing charitable donors to give money directly to people living in poverty, head to New York for a 4-day fact finding mission.
- 2019 stats show that the gender pay gap continues 14th Jan 2020 Recent research by Starling bank shows that in 2019, women earned up to £12,319 less per year than their male colleagues of the same age and within the same industry
- Digital DNA Awards 2020 nominations now open 13th Jan 2020 The Digital DNA Awards, held in partnership with MCS Group, celebrate the best tech talent, from companies of all sizes, excelling in the world of Digital and Tech and not just in NI...
