Kinobi is a student success SaaS provider dedicated to transforming higher education institutions by streamlining non-academic operations and equipping students with the tools necessary for career readiness. The company's mission is to simplify processes such as career services, student life, and mentoring through an integrated AI-driven platform, thereby enhancing student engagement and employability. Kinobi's vision is to empower educational institutions to adopt a holistic approach to education, moving beyond traditional academic-focused models to prepare students comprehensively for the workforce.
Kinobi's strategic focus centers on delivering customizable, AI-powered solutions tailored to the unique needs of educational institutions. The company's core objectives include enhancing operational efficiency, improving student engagement, and facilitating seamless integration with existing systems. Kinobi specializes in several key areas:
- AI-Powered Resume Builder: Enables students to create applicant tracking system (ATS)-compliant resumes with AI-driven suggestions to optimize skills and experiences based on specific job descriptions.
- Career and Internship Management: Provides a centralized hub for internships and job opportunities, complete with personalized job recommendations and application tracking.
- Student Life Management System: Assists students in achieving community goals and developing skills through an integrated portal for managing non-academic activities like clubs, extracurriculars, and events.
- Mentoring Management System: Facilitates coaching and mentoring programs through a self-service online portal, connecting students with industry professionals for guidance and support.
These solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly with existing institutional systems, ensuring a smooth transition and enhanced functionality.
Kinobi has established a strong presence in the Asia-Pacific region, serving over 60 higher education institutions and assisting more than one million students. The company boasts a user success rate of 93%, reflecting its significant impact on student outcomes.
Kinobi's technological platform is distinguished by its proprietary AI-driven capabilities, which include:
- AI Resume Scoring: Evaluates resume quality based on criteria such as relevance, keywords, format, and readability, providing feedback to help students align their resumes with job requirements.
- AI Job Recommendation: Utilizes machine learning to suggest job opportunities that match a user's skills, experiences, and preferences by analyzing their resume and past applications.
- AI Job Similarity Score: Compares job descriptions to a student's resume, assisting them in identifying the most suitable job postings for their qualifications and experience.
These AI-powered features are designed to reduce manual effort, improve student success, and provide actionable insights for better decision-making.
Kinobi's leadership team comprises experienced professionals dedicated to advancing the company's mission:
- Benjamin Wong, Chief Executive Officer
- Hafiz Kasman, Chief Operating Officer
- Joshua Phua, Chief Technology Officer
The company also benefits from the guidance of an advisory team with diverse expertise, including:
- Natasha Foong, Co-Founder of IncuVest
- Olivier Lim, Chairman of PropertyGuru
- JJ Chai, Co-Founder of Rainforest
- Pramodh Rai, Ex-CTO of Hmlet and Ex-CPO of Funding Societies
- Yixin Lee, Founding Team Member of UTU Global and Ex-Consultant at EY-Parthenon
- Dinesh Uruthiramoorthy, Head of Corporate Development at Multiplier
- Niña Terol, CEO of Imaginable Impact and Founder of SparkImpact Ventures
- Eddie Wong, Managing Partner at Global Associates Consultancy
- Catherine Lee, Founder and CEO of Levain Consulting
- Vincent Toong, Audit Partner at EY
- Koo Ping Shung, Co-Founder of Data Science Rex and President of the AI Professional Association
- Arief Abdurrakhman, Ex-Head of Career & Internship Department at Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember
Additionally, Kinobi has established a Career Development and Mentoring Advisory Council, featuring:
- Bernard Menon, Director at NTUC U PME
- Loh Pui Wah, Director (Project) at Nanyang Technological University
- Zhihan Yeo, Director of Chapters and Strategic Programmes at SGTech
- Natasha Choy, Executive Secretary at Young NTUC
- Aaron Tan, Ed.D, Director of Learner Advisory & Career Centre at Singapore Institute of Management
This diverse leadership and advisory team brings a wealth of experience and strategic insight to Kinobi, driving the company's growth and innovation.
Kinobi operates in the competitive landscape of academic advising and student success platforms. Key competitors include:
- OpenEduCat: An open-source ERP for educational institutes, offering comprehensive academic advising solutions.
- OpenWater Application and Review Cloud: A cloud-based platform designed to automate awards and recognition programs, with applications in scholarship management.
- AwardSpring: A scholarship management platform that simplifies application processes for educational institutions.
- Submittable: A cloud-based platform streamlining grant management, scholarships, and submission processes across various sectors.
- SmarterSelect: An online solution eliminating paper-based processes in scholarship management, focusing on efficient application evaluation.
These competitors offer various features that overlap with Kinobi's offerings, such as academic advising, scholarship management, and student engagement tools.
Kinobi has established significant collaborations to enhance its market position and innovation capacity. Notable partnerships include:
- Tung Wah College (TWC): Kinobi collaborated with TWC to launch the Life Planning Centre (LPC) Portal, powered by Kinobi’s AI-driven Career Management System. This platform provides features such as an AI Resume Builder, Mock Interviews, and an integrated Job Portal, significantly enhancing student engagement and career development.
- Binar Academy: Kinobi partnered with Binar Academy to implement a resume builder, courses, and job portal features, aiming to bridge the gap between supply and demand of tech talents. This collaboration resulted in over 800 students actively utilizing the platform for career development.
- Mendaki Club: Kinobi developed mConnect, a platform facilitating mentoring between students and industry professionals within the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore. The platform has received positive feedback, with students rating their mentoring sessions highly and recommending them to peers.
These strategic collaborations demonstrate Kinobi's commitment to enhancing student success through tailored, AI-driven solutions.
Kinobi's operational strategy focuses on delivering highly customizable and tailored solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing institutional systems. The company's AI-powered insights provide actionable data, driving better decision-making and optimizing student outcomes. By specializing in educational institutions, Kinobi ensures that its features are relevant and effectively address the unique challenges faced by its clients.
Looking ahead, Kinobi aims to expand its reach by forming partnerships with additional educational institutions globally. The company plans to enhance its technological platform by incorporating more advanced AI capabilities and analytics to further improve student success rates. By leveraging its current strengths and strategic collaborations, Kinobi is well-positioned to achieve its future objectives and continue its mission of revolutionizing student success in higher education.