CanUStart: Online Matchmaker For Restaurant Owners and the Perfect Staff

Miami-based CanUStart understands how hard it is to find the right staff in the hospitality industry. The online platform uses algorithm that matches restaurants seeking staff quickly, effectively and inexpensively to pre-qualified talent.

Founded by former staffing manager Tamar Lucien, and tech developer Kwame Ampem, CanUStart works with job seekers by alerting them of any errors on their resume, and by offering them advice to improve their employment opportunities. As for restaurant owners, they offer an easy to use system that matches their needs with the candidate, eliminating the need for manual searching by all.

“People are more than words in a paper. We created a platform where people can really connect. This is not just a place where you upload a resume,” explains Ampem.

According to Ampem, restaurant owners face the highest turnover rates of any industry and spend up to 10 hours a week recruiting new staff. This in turn pulls employers away from other critical duties of running their business.  CanUStart's algorithm pulls information from candidates' social media profiles, so employers get a full picture of the person they will be hiring.

The company also include 1:30 video resume, job offer alerts via text & email and immediately available talent ready for hire.

“The need for a specialized platform in this industry is great,  especially here in Miami. We have a lot of people working hard in restaurants, and they are often underrepresented. This platform makes life easier for them,” says Tamar.

CanUStart had a soft launch in February of this year, and has been working with various hospitality schools in the region. Currently, it has 500 candidates and 75 restaurants owners active in their platform.

They were one of the finalist companies of Refresh Miami‘s recent Demo Pitch Day.

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Written by:
Camila has been heavily active in South Florida’s tech startup community, where she is a co-host of a local radio show called pFunkcast. Camila previously worked at Greenpeace International and the Organization of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in various communication roles. A proud Brazilian who spent most of he life in Peru, she is passionate about traveling and documentaries.
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