London, UK – For many skilled immigrants, arriving in a new country is the start of an unexpected and arduous battle against unseen professional barriers. It’s a struggle that London-based Nigerian entrepreneurs Omon Eni and Bunmi Balogun are intimately familiar with. Drawing from their own challenging experiences, the duo co-founded the tech startup Ascendia and are now preparing to launch “Ivie”, an AI-powered career companion, with the backing of Google.
The journey to creating Ascendia was fueled by the personal and often frustrating career hurdles both founders encountered after moving to the UK. Omon Eni, a seasoned project/product manager, faced the challenge of translating her extensive experience from Nigeria into a context that UK employers would recognise and value. She speaks of the difficulty in navigating a new corporate culture and the nuances of the UK job market, a sentiment shared by countless immigrant professionals.
Her Co-founder, Bunmi Balogun, vividly recalls the “invisible barriers” that stand in the way of talented newcomers. In a candid video, Eni shared the demoralising experience of being overlooked for roles in favour of candidates with “specific UK work experience,” a common and significant roadblock for those new to the country. It was this shared understanding of systemic challenges that solidified their partnership and mission.
Together, Eni and Balogun are building Ascendia not just as a tech company, but as a comprehensive support ecosystem. Their vision is to empower immigrant professionals by providing the tools and community they need to thrive. The platform already offers vital services like one-on-one mentorship, expert reviews of resumes and cover letters, and specialised tech skill coaching. At the core of this ecosystem is their flagship product, Ivie. Designed to be a “career coach in your pocket,” Ivie leverages artificial intelligence to offer personalised and actionable guidance. The AI is trained on data from the successful career paths of other immigrants, allowing it to provide relevant, realistic, and motivating recommendations. Its key features include intelligent CV parsing to match skills with suitable job roles and providing localised job suggestions that align with the user’s experience and aspirations.
The development of Ivie has been significantly boosted by support from Google. While specific details of the collaboration remain private, the backing of a tech titan like Google provides Ascendia with invaluable resources, mentorship, and validation. This support is often channelled through initiatives like the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund, which offers equity-free capital and access to Google’s vast network to help level the playing field for underrepresented entrepreneurs
