In a world grappling with skills shortages and misaligned hiring practices, Swiss startup Work-ID has emerged as a trailblazer. Securing €4.2 million in seed funding in 2025, this Zurich-based company aims to transform the hiring landscape through innovative AI solutions that ensure no “candidate is ever overlooked.” With pivotal tools like Skills-Manager and Work-ID, the startup rises amidst a growing wave of demand for skills-based hiring.
This article dives deep into key lessons behind their success, the benefits of transparent hiring systems, and actionable steps for entrepreneurs and business owners aiming to tackle the skills gap.
Key Highlights
Work-ID’s Mission to Address Skills Shortage
At its core, Work-ID’s platform uses AI-powered solutions to prioritize skills transparency in hiring processes. Its flagship tools include:
- Skills-Manager: A platform that enables companies to audit existing skills within their workforce, predict shortages, identify gaps, and seamlessly match candidates to the right positions.
- Work-ID: A digital passport for individuals that keeps a record of their skills, professional achievements, and values throughout their career journey.
Both tools promise a future where hiring is fairer, faster, and more responsive to actual skill sets, reducing the common pitfalls of outdated CV-based recruitment.
Strong Institutional Backing
Work-ID’s €4.2 million funding round was supported by an influential network of investors, including Kaufmännischer Verband Schweiz, Kaufmännischer Verband Zürich, and leading entities like x28 AG and jobchannel ag. With backing from reputable Swiss HR and commercial associations, Work-ID is well-positioned to deliver massive impact.
Building on Research Partnerships
The company collaborates with renowned institutions such as the University of St. Gallen, EPFL, and ZHAW as part of Innosuisse’s flagship project, Swiss Circular Economy for Skills and Competences. This research-based approach ensures its tools are built on cutting-edge labor market insights.
Lessons for Entrepreneurs and Startups
Tackling skills shortages isn’t just about technology, it’s about solving deeper systemic inefficiencies. Here are three lessons gleaned from Work-ID’s journey:
1. Focus on Transparency
Candidates and employers often struggle to find each other due to lack of clarity on needed competencies. Work-ID’s solution highlights the power of matching skills to opportunities instead of relying on traditional metrics like degrees or specific job titles.
2. Leverage AI Responsibly
AI can simplify hiring processes, but human input remains critical to address bias and ensure fairness. By integrating Skills-Manager and Work-ID into their operations, companies can overcome bias by objectively evaluating skills rather than subjective assessments.
3. Bridge Research and Technology
Work-ID’s close collaboration with academic institutions ensures their tools are informed by real data. Entrepreneurs should embrace partnerships with universities and research platforms for stronger innovation.
The Benefits of Reducing Skills Shortages
The benefits of tackling skills shortages are multi-dimensional:
- Improved Productivity: Matching candidates to roles based on genuine skills ensures better performance and job satisfaction.
- Retention: Clearer career paths, facilitated by tools like Work-ID’s digital passport, empower employees to grow and stay within organizations.
- Economic Growth: A skills-driven approach minimizes waste caused by mismatched hires, boosting organizational efficiency and profitability.
How to Address the Skills Gap: Steps for Entrepreneurs
1. Audit Your Workforce
Understanding the skills already present in your organization is step one. Use platforms like Skills-Manager to visualize gaps.
2. Offer Skills Transparency
Ensure candidates clearly present their skill sets using tools like Work-ID’s digital passport system. This approach eliminates outdated hiring practices focused solely on resumes.
3. Train and Upskill
Partner with local academic institutions for bespoke training programs to prepare your team for future skill demands.
Startup Tools for Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs looking to scale their innovation can leverage cutting-edge AI tools to complement their journey. Here’s a bonus lineup:
Top AI Tools for Startup Success
1. PlayPal – Your AI Friend
Learn more about PlayPal here. Founded by Violetta Bonenkamp, PlayPal offers mental health support, professional advice, and interactive conversations tailored to your preferences. PlayPal acts as a virtual companion, helping entrepreneurs manage stress, brainstorm ideas, and stay motivated throughout their startup journey.
2. F/MS AI Grant Finder and Application Writer
Explore funding opportunities using this AI-powered grant finder and application writer, designed for entrepreneurs navigating complex EU grants. This tool matches you to relevant opportunities and even drafts your grant applications, simplifying a process that typically overwhelms startups.
3. AI Startup Lawyer
Prevent costly legal mistakes with AI Startup Lawyer, a platform designed to analyze important agreements, advise on negotiation strategies, and simplify confusing legal jargon. A must-have for startups balancing limited budgets with high stakes.
Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Should Avoid
Startup founders, especially those entering new territories like AI-driven HR platforms, face challenges. Avoid these common pitfalls:
- Ignoring Long-Term Vision: While skill-matching platforms solve immediate hiring concerns, integrating sustainable systems for upskilling employees is crucial for retaining talent.
- Skipping Feedback: Iteration is key. Always test platforms extensively and gather feedback before implementation.
- Overlooking Collaboration: Platforms built with input from research institutions (like Work-ID) allow startups to build credibility and access valuable insights.
Add-On Feature Spotlight: Fe/male Switch Services
The Fe/male Switch platform (F/MS) is redefining entrepreneurship with sandbox simulations for startup projects, marketplace tools for managing tokens, and an integrated Skill Lab for personalized skill development. Learn more about their innovative startup simulator for women here.
Conclusion
Work-ID’s €4.2 million funding is proof that innovation can tackle global challenges like skills shortages. For entrepreneurs, the road ahead involves creating transparent, agile systems that align talent supply with demand. Whether you’re launching your own platform or leveraging tools like PlayPal, Skills-Manager, or legal AI platforms, the key lies in focusing on solutions that prioritize people’s abilities.
As 2025 unfolds, start embracing smarter hiring systems and tools designed to reduce inefficiencies. It’s time to reimagine work dynamics and put skills, not resumes, at the forefront.
For more inspiration, learn about PlayPal, the AI companion for entrepreneurs or browse the F/MS tool suite for easy grant applications and innovation guidance. The future belongs to transparent, skills-driven startups!
FAQ
1. What is Swiss startup Work-ID known for?
Swiss startup Work-ID is recognized for tackling skills shortages with its AI-powered tools, Skills-Manager and Work-ID, aimed at creating skills transparency and ensuring no candidate is ever overlooked. Learn more about Work-ID's mission
2. What is Work-ID’s Skills-Manager platform?
Skills-Manager helps companies audit workforce skills, predict shortages, and seamlessly match candidates to open positions, optimizing hiring practices. Discover Skills-Manager
3. What is the purpose of the Work-ID digital passport?
The Work-ID digital passport is for individuals to record and showcase their professional achievements and values, promoting transparency in hiring. Learn more about Work-ID's digital passport
4. Who supported Work-ID’s €4.2 million fundraising?
Work-ID received funding from Swiss associations like Kaufmännischer Verband Schweiz, Kaufmännischer Verband Zürich, x28 AG, and jobchannel ag. Check out an overview of their investors
5. Which academic institutions collaborate with Work-ID?
Work-ID partners with leading institutions such as the University of St. Gallen, EPFL, ZHAW, and Innosuisse for research and development. Explore Work-ID's academic partnerships
6. How does Work-ID ensure fairness in hiring?
By using AI tools like Skills-Manager and Work-ID, Work-ID prioritizes skills evaluation over traditional CV analysis, reducing bias and improving matching. Discover Work-ID's approach
7. What are the key benefits of skills-driven hiring?
Skills-driven hiring enhances productivity, retention, and economic growth by aligning candidate competencies with job requirements. Learn more about the benefits
8. Who is Work-ID’s CEO in 2025?
Renato Profico, a seasoned digital recruiting expert and former CEO of Doodle and JobCloud, leads Work-ID as CEO in 2025. Check out more about Renato Profico
9. What is the Innosuisse flagship project that Work-ID is part of?
Work-ID contributes to the Swiss Circular Economy for Skills and Competences, a major project by Innosuisse promoting labor market transparency. Learn more about Innosuisse projects
10. How is Work-ID revolutionizing HR practices?
By combining AI expertise and transparency-focused solutions, Work-ID aims to simplify hiring processes and improve workforce alignment. Explore Work-ID's HR solutions
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch. The Fe/male Switch team is located in several countries, including the Netherlands and Malta.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
