Localized closed on a $1.2M funding round

D.C.-based Localized this week announced the close of a $1.2 million funding round.

The startup uses technology to bring career guidance to college students in emerging markets. The multilingual platform helps students connect with mentors and associations as they seek employment after college is complete.

Localized is live in the Middle East and North Africa in more than 65 career centers, universities and student organizations in Arabic and English languages, and the startup plans to expand to India this year, according to a press release.

This isn’t our first time hearing about Localized: The company’s founder, Ronit Avni, made it to the finals for the Vinetta Project 2018 venture challenge.

“As companies expand globally, they need to find fresh talent quickly and efficiently,” Avni said in a statement. “The talent is there but the connective tissue is not. Localized was built so the next generation of rising talent can access experts to guide them and employers to hire them.”

A press release states that the funding round was supported by a range of angel and institutional investors including Sara Sutton, founder of Remote.co and Flexjobs.com; Jim Hornthal, investor in Krave Jerky; Next Wave Impact; Bisk Ventures; and Jacob Hsu, founder and CEO of Catalyte. Avni said the company plans to use the early-stage funding to continue to scale its multilingual tech platform and sales efforts.

Including Avni, the Localized team is made up of nine employees. Heather Henyon, who serves on the investment committee of Dubai Angel Investors and Next Wave Impact, has been added to the Localized team as a board member.

“Localized enables access to universities in emerging markets starting with the MENA region, where 60% of the population is under the age of 30,” Henyon said in a statement. “Ronit is an exceptional founder and has assembled the right team and solution to solve the global problem faced by growing companies in the war for talent.”