‘LinkedIn alternative’ startup launches with almost $1 million in funding from Sequoia

An Aussie startup has launched the ‘LinkedIn for essential professionals’, and banked $920,000 in pre-seed funding from Sequoia Capital India to get the platform off the ground.

Founded by Elliott Gibb and Jascha Zittel, a former product manager for DevOps at Atlassian, Sample is a professional network geared towards people in hospitality, retail, beauty, warehousing and logistics, for example.

The pair coined the term ‘essential professionals’, Zittel tells SmartCompany, as it felt more empowering than blue-collar or grey-collar workers. It also highlights the real career opportunities in these sectors.

Many people consider these professions as temporary, or a stepping stone to something perceived as ‘better’, Gibb adds.