As a software sales recruiter, Stephen Daspit spent years working with candidates looking for the right jobs.
He could not help but notice the challenges and lack of support that sales professionals faced. Daspit sought to make a change and provide the right platform to match both sales employers and employees.
He then created Mave, a nationwide career job board exclusively for software sales professionals. The startup began more than a year ago in Greater Tampa Bay.
“Finding a really good salesperson has always been a challenge, especially for startups. From my years of experience and streaming sales candidates, employees want to know, ‘What’s the product I’m selling,’ ‘Who am I selling it to,’ ‘How am I selling it’ and even something as simple as ‘What resources are provided to me?’” Stephen said.
Mave aims to bring information sales candidates truly care about and create better matches. The company provides an outlet for business owners in GTB to keep up with the increasing technology and software recruitment needs.
Filtering the Fluff
Mave’s platform is twofold. Software sales companies can search for top talent or search for their first sales employee. Sales professionals can find opportunities while filtering out the specific companies that match their criteria.
“We get into the nitty gritty of what any job seeker would want to know,” Daspit said. “Is the job an outside or inside sales job? What do average deals look like? What are companies’ sales cycles? Is it a small or medium size enterprise?”
With artificial intelligence and computer learning algorithms, Mave helps facilitate the process for users. The platform learns the type of roles candidates are looking for and it serves them recommendations.
For companies, Mave helps track sales performances, highlight key statistics and showcase their team to prospective software sales professionals.
Embarking on a Journey
As a first-time founder, Daspit sought resources in GTB to help bring his idea to life. He connected with Embarc Collective, an incubator that supports close to 150 tech and tech-enabled startups.
Daspit appreciated how Embarc offers space to meet and collaborate with fellow innovators. He also learned from relevant and experienced coaches who walked him through different problems.
“I think very highly of them,” Daspit said. “It is great to have that sounding board to make sure that my ideas are not crazy, and they can work. If I could go back, I would have found them sooner. We would have been a lot farther than where we are now, but it is all a part of the startup journey. They are a great organization.”
A Niche Group
While Daspit has created a nationwide job board, his main initiative is to support the Tampa Bay tech hub. One goal is to help smaller employers attract talent.
“The biggest reason I started this was, there are a lot of startups doing big things, and there is so much noise in the industry. A lot of times, smaller companies miss out on great talent,” Daspit said. “Even if it is a startup, the financial stability can still be there for a professional.”
As a startup within Embarc, Daspit hopes to see GTB continue to develop as a hub for technology and startups.
“There are over 100 software tech companies in Tampa Bay, and that is where I fit in. We are looking to help these companies from a sales perspective to help them continue to grow,” Daspit said.
By Shavantay Minnis.
