Hidden Gems: Meet Vaishnavi More of ARCHSLATE

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vaishnavi More.

Hi Vaishnavi, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The journey so far from India to Harvard to launching my own startup in the Silicon Valley at 27 has been extremely challenging but also something that I am very proud of. I come from a city called Pune in India where I’ve lived all my life and studied at a small minority architecture school prior to Michigan. Applying to the top schools in the world is never an easy process, especially with the kind of competition that exists today. I first applied to Harvard in the year 2015 and was rejected at that time. But I was persistent about my goals, I knew what I wanted to do and where exactly I wanted to be in the next few years. Thus throughout my education at Michigan, I diligently chose courses that got me one step closer to my goals. I remember the time when reapplying for Harvard, I was in the middle of my final exams for my Masters at Michigan. It was a stressful time juggling with my finals on one hand, my application process on the other and then there was my Statement of interest and portfolio that seemed like a long shot.

Right when I had just finished my entire application process and was preparing for my next day’s paper, I received an email from my professor saying “The application could have been much better” and there I was back to square one again. Throughout my journey, there have been obstacles, tough times and times when I almost broke down, but each experience has shaped me to where I stand today. There will oftentimes be many discouragements about your idea being too ambitious to achieve or it being too unrealistic. While at University of Michigan, Harvard was a dream and while at Harvard, starting a company was a dream. Daydreaming at my dorm room at Harvard, Archslate was born. On pitching, Archslate was accepted into the Venture incubation program at the Harvard Innovation Lab where it was further developed for 18 months from idea to conception and we finally have the world’s first and only go-to talent marketplace for the Architecture industry.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being an outsider and dreaming of starting a company in the United States while being an international student – the thought itself can be very daunting. As students, we are taught a set path; to complete your education, get an internship, get a job and be settled. But this wasn’t something that I would have settled for. As an Architect, I work at the intersection of architecture and technology. To have someone build something like Archslate from a software technology background that solves problems for a niche market is very hard to find or even next to impossible. So I decided to use my years of experience in architecture and the pain points of portfolio curation, job application and hiring, to build this platform. There exists a massive disconnect between employers and talent because oftentimes, the hiring industry can be very one sided. It might be the case where employers are flooding job boards without actually reaching the right candidates or candidates are aggressively emailing companies to find a job.

I saw the struggles that me and my friends went through to secure a job we deserve, in spite of getting the highest quality education in the nation. Ironically when I started working at Architecture firms, the story was no different where they struggled as to how to bring Architects on board. At Archslate, we are not only replacing this system from scratch but are making sure that we connect the passion of a job seeker to the right employer. As a two-sided platform, we remove this disconnect by giving equal opportunity to both sides of the market and making first-hand meaningful connections. It’s a place where we want companies to hire candidates who become assets, while candidates to get companies that become home. Quote – “You have to stop getting comfortable with the same path that everyone is taking. The day you do that, doors will open for you.” – Vaishnavi More

We’ve been impressed with ARCHSLATE, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Archslate is the first and only go-to jobs marketplace for the Architecture and design industry that connects companies with highly skilled Architects, planners, interior designers and other creatives. In our case, we are reinventing the wheel because ours is broken. With companies like Google, Apple and Tesla going gaga over their ‘no resume required’ policy, hundreds of fresh graduates and interns have possibly secured their dream of getting hired in a big company. Hiring platforms such as LinkedIn talent solutions, ZipRecruiter, Indeed, Monster.com have all been benefiting the technology sector for quite some time now. But rarely have you heard of a company that is revamping the design community of architects, designers, planners and creatives. Through Archslate, we have created the first and only go-to talent marketplace for the building industry. We are expanding the market space as well as creating a new market space that people are happy to be in. The logic is very simple – We are trying to solve a real problem. The hiring process that exists today makes it very difficult if not impossible for people to switch jobs, make growth, or turn to their passions.

Archslate provides a better experience right from portfolio building to landing your perfect job. It’s like a food delivery app but for jobs – you can browse companies, hit 1- click apply, track the status and receive job responses with just a single application. Whereas for companies, we get you 10x more qualified candidates 25x faster than any other hiring platform. Unlike other generic platforms such as monster.com or LinkedIn talent solutions, Archslate is made for a specialized industry that has an enormous growth potential. We not only provide an end-to-end solution both for the company as well as the candidate but also make sure that every other ignored aspect is full-filled through our platform. This includes diversity and inclusion, salary negotiation, equal pay and transparency. Moreover, these traditional job board sites are flooded with job posts, where candidates aimlessly apply to every job they see while recruiters are aggressively going behind employers to get their percentage cuts. At Archslate, we have no recruiters, no percentage cuts, no third party agencies and no resume scans. Quote – “Job hunt is quite a stressful phase in anyone’s life. We’re doing our bit, so you can reach where you deserve to be in life.” – Vaishnavi More

How do you think about happiness?
I am here today because of the support of my parents, my husband, my family, and by the grace of all those people that I met along my way. I always feel happy when I give back to society in every small way that I can which I do by mentoring, offering advice, free consultations and helping anyone that sends me even a simple text. I feel even more happy when I mentor young girls who are on their path to creating an impact. Moreover, women everywhere around the world are making 10x times the progress and female entrepreneurs are slowly changing the face of the new world. That’s where developing nations like India have even greater responsibilities to make sure that their girls are highly educated, can stand on their own feet and that they receive the support to pursue their dreams.

Contact Info:

• Email: vm@archslate.com
• Website: https://www.archslate.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archslate/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Archslate-108671960701088/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/archslate