Onramp

Founded in 2018 by Lateesha Thomas, Howard Sueing, and Ian Inaba, Onramp.io operates as a workforce development company with a mission to diversify the talent pipeline for tech and data roles. The firm is headquartered in Oakland, California, and distinguishes itself through the lived experiences of its leadership team, which is composed of people of color who design and implement the company's programs. This background informs their intentional approach to creating new pathways to success for underrepresented candidates.

Onramp's business model centers on providing a suite of services to corporate clients who are seeking to hire diverse talent. These services include creating and managing apprenticeship programs, proprietary sourcing of candidates, community engagement, and role-specific training. The company facilitates the entire hiring process, from recruiting to final placements, effectively acting as a bridge between skilled, diverse candidates and companies with specific hiring needs. Revenue is generated through fees for these comprehensive placement and training services, sometimes structured on a subscription basis.

The core offering is a talent pipeline that prepares candidates for the precise skills that companies require. This involves a detailed process of identifying potential talent, providing targeted training, and fostering a community to support candidates. For their corporate clients, this results in access to a pre-vetted and qualified pool of diverse individuals ready to fill roles in the technology and data sectors. This addresses a critical market need for companies struggling to build more inclusive workforces on their own. Institutional investors such as JFF, Chloe Capital, and Juvo Ventures have provided funding to the company.

Keywords: workforce development, diversity recruiting, talent pipeline, apprenticeships, tech hiring, corporate training, inclusive workforce, job placement, skills training, community engagement