How Kumo Found Its CTO Through SkillsRobin

‍The situation

Alex Kerr founded Kumo — a study tool for students with ADHD — off the back of her own experience navigating university with an undiagnosed condition. She'd been building the product alongside a technical co-founder, but when he left for an opportunity in the UK, she was suddenly on her own with a product to rebuild and no engineer in her corner.

She needed a CTO. Someone who could own the entire technical side, communicate clearly with a non-technical founder, and care about the mission. That's when she found SkillsRobin.

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The match

Alex discovered SkillsRobin and posted an opening for a technical co-founder on the job board. Jack was the first person to apply.

After several conversations, it became clear the two were deeply aligned on the mission — and for good reason. Jack has ADHD himself. He'd struggled through university not knowing why. He knew first-hand what Kumo was trying to solve.

Alex described the experience of finding Jack through SkillsRobin as "really fabulous," noting the personal approach and that it felt like engaging with a real person, not a bot.

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The outcome

The six months following the placement were significant for Kumo.

Kumo signed deals with two universities to run paid trials, received their first pre-seed investment from a strategic angel investor, and grew their team to four people.

Jack also brought on a front-end developer he'd previously worked with, expanding the team further. And with the technical side in safe hands, Alex was freed up to focus on what she does best — sales, fundraising, and driving the mission forward.

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In their own words

"Meeting Jack has been incredible. I have been able to put all my trust in him to drive the technical side of the business." — Alex Kerr, Founder & CEO, Kumo

"If I had known I had ADHD and had a tool like Kumo — I probably would have had a much easier time, and things would have gone a lot more smoothly with less stress and anxiety." — Jack Reichelt, CTO & Co-founder, Kumo

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SkillsRobin connects early-stage ANZ startups with pre-vetted developers on a success-only fee basis — no retainers, no upfront costs.