Newly endorsed by ScaleUp Institute, Superpower supports the development of the talent pipeline for scaling businesses using a dual model enhancing the skills of job seekers, while at the same time supporting recruiters to find the right talent for short term and project based placements. 

For jobseekers, Superpower’s platform supports the acquisition of skills through assessing skills gaps; supporting access to learning and development opportunities, and matching them with placement opportunities. Its skills-based approach identifies skills gaps from early-stage careers through to management level. Some job seekers have successfully accepted placements with up to a total of eight different scaleups via the platform. 

Its personalised offering is based on its AI model which recommends courses, mentors and potential opportunities to members based on a range of 80 to 2,000 factors. Job seekers can take recommended short online courses via Futurelearn and Coursera; link with mentors via Digital Boost; and accept opportunities with scaleups. On average, each of its 28,000 members receives 84 course recommendations and 46 masterclass recommendations.

For scaleups and scaling businesses, Superpower assists by helping them recruit the right talent flexibly and efficiently for project related positions. The recruitment process is streamlined, by providing them with shortlists of candidates within 72 hours – 10x faster on average than traditional methods. Using a simple five-click process, scaleups post the roles they need to fill, and the platform’s AI capability undertakes the skills diagnostic to match skills to candidates. Candidate selection, interview offers and job offers are made via platform’s dashboard with a single click.  As part of the service, scaleups can opt in for a subscription service that supports skills development for its existing employees.  

The platform’s AI is trained using employer-led skill taxonomies and covers all sectors – the top sectors profiled on the platform include professional, scientific & technical skills along with finance & insurance, and information & communication. Superpower prioritises scaleup needs in its development, using focus groups and research centred on scaling companies. 

Superpower works with organisations across the scaleup support ecosystem including growth hubs, local authorities and agencies like London & Partners and has established referral mechanisms with other organisations, venture capital firms and programmes like the endorsed by SUI Barclays Eagle Labs and Founders4Schools. It also received grant funding from Innovate UK which allowed them to train their AI algorithms specifically on what was important to scaleups and more specifically fintech scaleups. 

To date, Superpower has supported 317 scaleups and helped 244 candidates secure roles. In total, 28,000 members have accessed recommendations to courses and masterclasses specifically relevant to their personalised skill development needs and 4,195 business staff and job seekers have been trained. On average, scaling businesses achieve 22.7% annual growth in employment after working with Superpower. 

As a ‘service’ offering, rather than a structured programme, Superpower is supporting scaleups to flexibly access talent and skills as they grow, while also developing the future talent pipeline and enhancing understanding of the opportunities that exist with scaling businesses. The ScaleUp Institute is pleased to endorse this model of scaleup support and we are working with other service providers and will be assessing more offerings that break down the barriers to accessing talent in 2024.

Superpower website