Fraser Patterson, CEO and Founder of Skillit: $13 Million Raised to Tackle the Skilled Labor Crisis in Construction

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Fraser Patterson, CEO and Co-Founder of Skillit, a construction staffing platform that has raised over $13 Million in funding. 

Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:

• Origin Story of Skillit: Frustrated by the challenges of hiring and retaining skilled workers, Fraser leveraged his unique background in construction and academia to launch Skillit, aiming to solve the skilled labor crisis through a tech-enabled platform.
• The Aha Moment: Realizing the potential of using knowledge as a leading indicator of skill, Skillit was born out of the necessity to digitize and streamline the hiring process in the construction industry, offering digital craft assessments to accurately assess a worker's skill set.
• Innovative Features: Skillit stands out by providing data-rich, 360-degree worker profiles, far surpassing the capabilities of traditional job boards and enabling employers to find, filter, and connect with skilled workers with unprecedented ease.
• Digital Skill Assessments: Skillit's approach to digital skill assessments for physical trades by using knowledge-based questions to accurately gauge a worker's expertise is a game-changer in the construction hiring process.
• Business Model and Growth: Offering a subscription and usage-based model, Skillit caters to the needs of employers with varying hiring requirements. The platform has seen significant growth, with customer growth of 540% year-over-year and skilled worker growth of 1000% in the same period.
• Vision for the Future: Fraser envisions Skillit not only as a solution to the current skilled labor shortage but also as a platform that could potentially transform skilled labor into one of the greatest assets on earth by training and upskilling talent to meet the world's housing, infrastructure, and clean energy goals.