How One Startup is Changing Career Management Forever

As I reflect on my journey, I'm filled with awe and gratitude. What began as a small spark of ambition in my heart has transformed into a booming, impactful venture capital-backed business.

When I started planning PUG.ai during college, I had no idea it would grow into something so much larger than myself. With only $100 in my pocket, some ambition, and a dream, I took a leap of faith and moved across the country to Silicon Valley.

I had to leave behind my family of Liberian immigrant refugees in PG County, Maryland, to go after the dream I had envisioned. I grew up in a household of immigrant entrepreneurs, so I had entrepreneurship in my blood. 

Along the way, I encountered numerous obstacles after many failed attempts to move to Silicon Valley until I successfully enrolled myself into a university. I worked tirelessly, balancing multiple jobs to afford my traditional education to study finance.

Despite moments of burnout and a lack of direct guidance, I remained committed to landing my dream job. I decided to train myself with in-demand skills, which opened doors I never thought possible.

Eventually, my strong work ethic and dedication paid off when I secured a full-time contract role at Cisco Systems in San Francisco as a strategy and operations professional while working full-time as a junior in college. I had to balance a full-time tech career with a full-time college career, which increased my burnout challenges.  

This opportunity was a turning point in my career, and it led to working in a similar role at Google before returning to Cisco Systems to lead a team.

I had built a successful career right out of college, but something inside me wanted to do more—I wanted to create a lasting impact and help others take a faster approach to career growth as I did. So, I took another leap of faith and launched a small passion project aimed at helping people land their dream careers and lifestyles using software.

Surprisingly, people started paying for my passion project after I built it and wanted more features. The passion project evolved quickly into a full-fledged business, and I soon found myself at a crossroads.

Though comfortable in my corporate job with a steady paycheck, I knew I had to take a chance on my new business. Intending only to bootstrap my startup, I never imagined seeking funding until I saw how it propelled the success of one of my male associates’ early-stage startup, who raised millions from his community based on an idea he had and no traction.

He came from a privileged background with access to capital. He inspired me to venture into the world of fundraising since my startup was profitable, so I did, but our experiences were completely different. It was more of a humbling experience for me. 

As a young black woman from PG County, Maryland, with a family of immigrant refugees from West Africa, I quickly realized that access and privilege were not equally distributed in the VC world.

I faced hundreds of rejections from investment firms but refused to let discouragement stop me. Instead, I pivoted from raising VC capital and joined professional programs for entrepreneurs to help me become a better founder.

I joined programs such as Black Girl Ventures and Nasdaq, which eventually led to my first real investment from a VC accelerator. There, our business accelerated, and PUG.ai finally received funding from additional VC firms after our first investment agreement.

The impact of this funding was immediate and profound. We upgraded our platform, and the results were tangible. Users began securing full-time jobs in the tech industry, dramatically improving their career satisfaction and lifestyle. Witnessing this transformation has been the fuel that drives our team to push forward, knowing we are making a difference in people's lives.

As I look back on this journey, I am reminded of the power of perseverance and determination and the importance of empowering those who face adversity. PUG.ai's story is a testament to the incredible heights we can reach when we believe in ourselves and our vision and never give up, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges.