MatchIT assists in the selection of suppliers according to the demand of each contractor
In an increasingly competitive market and with a growing shortage of specialized professionals for specific demands, the hiring process of a professional in the area of information technology (IT) has become slow. Especially in the area of IT services, the compatibility of specialization between demand and the service offered is a challenge, as are other desirable interaction aspects, which go beyond price.
These analyzes were presented in the first MatchIT Overview, carried out this year by the startup, hosted at Unicamp Scientific and Technological Park. MatchIT collected and analyzed data from 577 companies, 410 suppliers and 167 contractors, concluding that the suppliers' previous experience in the specialized demand sector is a decisive factor for 32% of contractors, ahead of price (23%), in second place. Other factors that affect selection are corporate culture, synergy with the team and availability to implement a solution within the client's deadline.
MatchIT was created to assist in hiring suppliers in the ICT area. “We help contractors find the best suppliers quickly and privately, without having to share their WhatsApp number or email by filling out different forms online to receive a quote. And with the difference of delivering an agile service, based on artificial intelligence", Explain rose branches, serial entrepreneur and CEO of MatchIT. “It’s not just the price that companies evaluate when hiring a supplier in this field. Sometimes, the cost of a poorly implemented project is greater than the initial investment”, he adds. Ramos is former student of Food Technology at the Technical College of Campinas (COTUCA) and food engineer from the Faculty of Food Engineering at the State University of Campinas (FEA Unicamp).
The company operates under the “freemium” model, in which both supply and demand can use the platform for free. With less than a year of operation, the company already has more than 650 users and 10 premium customers, who enjoy extra resources, such as advertising highlights and consolidated intelligence data for market analysis.
Algorithm being improved at Unicamp and with PIPE FAPESP resources
The entrepreneur explains that, today, the deadline for returning combinations varies from 30 minutes to 72 hours, considered fast when compared to competitors who make the Played (English term for combinations and which gives the company its name) completely manually. The longer lead time is due to unsatisfactory matches, below 80% compatibility, in which case the team performs free manual mapping. “We are always learning. Eventually, a macth is below expectations for the contractor. When this occurs, you can request a match manual, and a person from the team will search for suppliers within 72 hours, based on the criteria of dissatisfaction with the Played previous ones. The reason for this may have been an error at the base, or a demand so specific that we did not have the company at the base. And why do we do all this for free? Because we want to have the best IT suppliers, from all segments, at our base. This tends to be less common in the gray zone of just 80% compatibility”, details Ramos.
The minimum response time of 30 minutes also tends to decrease. Didier Oliveros, CDO at MatchIT and senior postdoctoral researcher at Unicamp's Computing Institute (IC), explains that, currently, the AI model provides matches in a few seconds, but only runs at 30-minute intervals to balance demand and cloud consumption costs. The expectation is that, as the volume of data increases, the algorithm will become more efficient and respond to requests in “real time”.
To improve the platform, the startup has a partnership in Research and Development (R&D) with IC Unicamp and resources of more than R$ 298 thousand approved in the Innovative Research in Small Businesses funding program, from the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (PIPE Fapesp). Both agreements were approved in July 2022.
According to Marcelo Reis, professor and coordinator of the project in partnership with Unicamp, to optimize the platform, in addition to increasing the supplier base, it is necessary to develop and apply Machine Learning methods (machine learning) to increase the accuracy of results: “The information technology market is very broad, and each person expresses similar demands differently. Therefore, the model must be able to understand the dialogue in natural language, making assertive recommendations according to each case. The project also foresees research on how to use user interaction and feedback to improve the model, the results of which could be incorporated into the company's production environment”, comments the professor.
In addition to the PIPE FAPESP funding, MatchIT has just closed a round of pre-seed capital raising of approximately R$700, with the participation of private investors and members of the UniAngels, Anjos do Brasil and FEA Angels networks. The CEO explains that the investments will be applied to improvements to the platform, for example, increasing the user base and including supplier qualification seals, considering criteria such as ESG practices. The forecast is to reach 2.500 users between 12 and 18 months.
The company directly employs 11 people and has four research and innovation leadership positions open in the IT area, based on PIPE FAPESP funding (Check open positions here). Two master's students, under the guidance of professor Marcelo Reis, also participate in the development of the project signed in partnership with IC Unicamp to improve the algorithm.
Trajectory through entrepreneurship ecosystems
In addition to being a serial entrepreneur, Rose Ramos is also active in several entrepreneurial ecosystems. She helped found the angel fund iAngels Brasil, linked to IESE Business School alumni, and is fellow of Latitud, which brings together technology companies from Latin America. Ramos is still a counselor at Unicamp's angel fund (UniAngel) and the group Unicamp Ventures, promoted by Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency, which produces content and organizes events bringing together the University’s daughter companies.
This report was originally published on the Inova Unicamp website. It is part of a series produced by Inova about the companies that make up Unicamp's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Find out what types of companies can join this ecosystem and how to get involved register on the Entrepreneurial Experience page
