ATLANTA – A tech startup business launched in Coastal Georgia is about to expand to Atlanta and Dallas.
GAGE, a web platform designed for service workers to show their credentials and skills to potential employers, already is operating a pilot program in Dallas and soon will move into Atlanta, a tech hub that’s a natural fit for the company.
Serial entrepreneur Justin Henshaw of Brunswick founded GAGE to serve workers at a series of restaurants he owned.
“It started as a spreadsheet, an algorithm with a scoring component,” said the Marine veteran, who now serves as GAGE’s CEO. “The employees liked it and said they wished they could take it with them. … So, I built a platform they’re able to take with them from job to job and replace the resume. That’s never been done before.”
The tech industry took notice. GAGE was one of 12 early startups chosen to participate in Techstars Accelerators, a three-month program that helps entrepreneurs obtain seed capital and find markets for their products.
“GAGE is a truly transformative concept with massive potential,” Keith Camhi, Techstars’ managing director, told The Brunswick News this month. “Unlike many disruptive platforms that require significant funding and large user bases before they can monetize, GAGE has developed a uniquely clever go-to-market strategy. … It’s a game-changer.”
GAGE began expanding beyond Coastal Georgia with a pilot program at multiple Smoothie King locations in Dallas. Atlanta is next up in the company’s plans.
“Techstars has an incredible presence in Atlanta,” Henshaw said.
With the Techstars program completed, GAGE is preparing to launch an improved version of the platform next spring, a second generation of the product designed for hourly and shift workers not served by existing platforms that cater primarily to white-collar executives.
“This was built for restaurants, but we’re in banking now and health care … multiple industries that employ entry-level work staff,” Henshaw said. “If this goes the way we hope, it really could be an impactful resource for the most underserved component of our workforce.”