Kian Katanforoosh, CEO of Workera: $21 Million Raised to Build the Skills Intelligence Category

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Kian Katanforoosh, CEO of Workera, a skills intelligence platform that’s raised over $21 Million in funding, about why the future economy demands a more streamlined approach to skills development, and how deep learning is going to provide the framework to keep workers ahead of the curve. By providing a personalized learning system based on cutting-edge psychometric analysis to recommend the ideal skills and precisely where to develop them, including feedback and progress monitoring, Workera combines the benefits of direct face-to-face education with the massive analytic capacity of big data.

We also spoke about the current state of the AI sector and why we found ourselves in a global skills crisis, the limitation of online learning versus a more supportive learning environment, and why Kian is here to stay in San Francisco, even if other global tech hubs are emerging as serious competitors. With a commitment to democratizing AI education and an innovative software solution to make that dream a reality, Workera is set to take its place as a market leader in the emerging category of ‘workplace intelligence’.

Topics Discussed:

• Kian’s career bridging business and academia, and the connections between his role as a lecturer and business leader


• The current state of the AI industry, and why a global skills shortage poses a significant threat to ongoing innovation


• Why mentors and guidance are still an essential component of education, and how to emulate those benefits in the digital space


• How psychometrics can provide the critical insight needed to support targeted skills development on an individual basis


• How Workera successfully developed partnerships with leading brands


• Why Kian is set to stay in San Francisco, even in the face of competing tech hubs emerging all around the world