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