Carlson and Gliedman said the idea for RAIN came out of their own struggles and frustration looking for jobs and internships. They felt they lacked the experience and know-how to recruit for jobs, and found the third-party landscape highly fragmented. RAIN provides the tools and personalized guidance for every step of the job search process: exploring potential career paths, creating application materials, establishing and managing a network of connections, and executing applications and interviews.
The winning duo, who also took home the Viewer’s Choice award of $1,000, will use their prize money to help accelerate RAIN’s go-to-market strategy.
"At its core, RAIN is about making job recruitment less stressful and more efficient. We believe that the personalized guidance and AI-driven features of our platform will truly transform the way people approach their job search," said Carlson. "We're grateful for the support we have received thus far, and we look forward to continuing to grow and improve RAIN in the years to come."
Gliedman added, “The Pitch Competition was such an incredible experience. Elliot and I learned so much over the course of the year and we really saw RAIN transform from an idea to the beginnings of a company that can level the playing field for all applicants. We have gained an invaluable network of alumni who have already been extremely supportive throughout the process. Looking ahead, we’re excited about the future of RAIN and the potential impact that we can make," he said.
This year’s first runner-up, winning $6,000, was Tom Coulon ’23 and Hyla Mosher ’23 with GUIDE, a third-party service that connects applicants to current college students via one-on-one Zoom meetings. They maintain that direct communication allows for inside perspectives without the bias of institutional visits.
Second runner-up, winning $3,000, was OURSVP, pitched by Madeline Fitzpatrick ’18 and Claire Fitzpatrick. OURSVP is a free app that offers a consolidated social calendar and gift-giving marketplace intertwining proactive reminders with the ability to organize special moments of those in your circle.
The seven-month Pitch Competition process began in September with contestants submitting a concept video; throughout the fall they could attend virtual educational programming to learn about entrepreneurship, and then they received mentoring from Hamilton entrepreneurs. Finalists took part in a live virtual competition on April 4.
Pitch Competition judges included Andrew Frank ’94, Zeena Freeman, Woody Marshall ’90, Aaron Sanandres ’96, Samantha Skey ’94, Michael Tennant ’04, and Rachel Weiss ’93.
