Vektor AI, a London-based mentorship platform that helps people grow in the career they are passionate about, recently announced that it has raised over €2.4 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Cherry Ventures and Mosaic Ventures.
The round was also joined by angel investors Bradley Horowitz (Google), Deb Liu (Ancestry), Ujjwal Singh (Meta), Paul Forster (Indeed), Phil Chambers (Peakon), and more.
With the funds, the company aims to improve the mentorship model and enhance accessibility to professional career advice and guidance.
Founded in 2021 by husband and wife duo, Anna Buldakova and Victor Buldakov, who brought their combined experience from Meta, WhatsApp, Zalando, N26, and Intercom to the table, Vektor AI enables users to interact in real-time with a chosen mentor experienced in the role and field the mentee seeks to succeed.
Using data such as employment background, education, professional goals, and skills, the platform matches mentees with relevant mentors who can advise on and assist with training, growth, and tangible next steps. While some mentors offer their advice and expertise free of charge, others do so on a paid basis – meaning that access to quality training is now available to everyone and isn’t reliant on the size of your bank account.
Speaking about the company, Co-founder & CEO of Vektor AI, Anna Buldakova, said:
If you want to transition to a new career or learn a new skill, mentorship is the most effective way to reach that goal. But, due to the changing employment landscape, finding relevant mentors is harder than ever, especially for startup employees. With Vektor AI, you get direct professional guidance from someone who has been in your shoes and can help you get to where you want to go.
Standing apart from traditional mentor models, Vektor AI offers a more accessible and democratized mentorship model that seeks to enable rapid career advancement and concrete results for everyone.
Adding further about the platform, Co-founder & CTO of Vektor AI, Victor Buldakov, said:
We created Vektor because we want to ensure that individuals who choose to work in small organizations have access to the same level of career growth and support as those at larger companies.
The startup believes that with a new generation entering the workforce remotely for the first time, the pandemic triggering a search for more meaningful careers, and mass lay-offs leaving people in need of new skills advice and training, the demand for personalized, professional, and relevant career support is greater than ever. Its aspiration is to democratise access to it for everybody, whatever background they have and whatever career path they want to pursue.
Commenting on the investment, Principal, Cherry Ventures, Dinika Mahtani, said:
People’s careers matter. However, accessing, navigating, and creating meaningful career paths is not nearly as simple as it should be. Anna, Victor, and their growing and diverse team are changing this, helping mid-level and senior tech professionals gain more career clarity. With their AI-know how, science-guided program, and community-driven background and mindset, Vektor is set to make careers a journey, not a ladder.
