Malkah’s plan is to create an app that matches agribusinesses with young talent using functionalities similar to a dating app. Her idea is to create an algorithm based on the profile of an applicant and requirements of an employer to shortlist and rank candidates from most to least suitable. It was through Malkah’s customer discovery during the Hatch program that she gained deeper insight into what young people were looking for in an agricultural job, the lack of skills or communication of skills for employers and how broad the problem was across the sector.

Prior to entering Hone Malkah had completed 20 customer interviews where she had narrowed down her focus on small to medium enterprises for her two sided marketplace. Malkah had started to explore the functionality and design features she would require on her app and the types of roles (and skills gaps) the agricultural industry was looking for.

Malkah’s research during the Hatch program reinforced her problem identification of the gap between students searching for work and agricultural employers skills/employee shortage.

Malkah used the Hone program to build her skills in social media and design to provide a detailed prototype overview of her product and set up her company website and profiles to start attracting feedback and beta testers to her business.

The introduction to the Business Model Canvas helped Malkah move beyond her problem – solution fit to understand how to build a sustainable business model around the idea and where the value would sit for her customers in a two sided marketplace. Malkah used the program to explore what partnerships might assist her business and fill some of the gaps in employee skills, while also viewing whether there were funding opportunities through grants or government partners.