Spiela is the company that believes that whilst talent is equally distributed, opportunities are not. To solve this problem, they want to provide a platform that equalizes the situation by connecting young and talented people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds with a wide range of targeted jobs to help them reach their full potential. Spiela aims to be the platform where job providers and opportunity seekers meet to enable both parties to take their respective success to new heights.
The founder, Ivan Kayima, first came up with the idea of Spiela in 2015 when he looked back at his own experiences in the labor market and to not being able to get a job even though meeting all the set requirements. One year later, he founded Spiela. Since the launch, Spiela has managed to build a community with over 2 000 members across social media. Together with this community, Spiela has hosted several events covering a wide range of topics, from business and employment to culture and politics. In these events, the community has had the opportunity of discussing these important subjects, not only with each other, but also with specially invited authors, politicians, celebrities, and activists.
Up until now, Spiela has only been active in the UK but as of 2020, they are expanding to the Portuguese market. As one of our latest members, the CLS took the opportunity to ask Ivan Kayima some questions regarding this expansion, future plans, and what Spiela wishes to achieve together with the Swedish-Portuguese business community.
What are the main drivers for Spiela to expand to Portugal?
- Spiela got invited to the Bizfeira fair in October 2019. We were invited to do a workshop on key skills that young people need to get into the world of work, such as networking and public speaking. After the success of this event, we saw an opportunity in Portugal, as there are many ambitious and determined Portuguese young professionals that we believe that we can help, nurture and equip with the key skills they need to face the labor market.
What are the future plans for Spiela in Portugal?
- We hope to present Spiela together with CLS to the Portuguese market. We will demonstrate who we are and the services that we can provide to our community members in regards to social projects, diversity and inclusion training, and workshops. Our aim over the next two years is to use fairs like Bizfeira to promote largescale business in the community events.
What are the reasons for Spiela to engage with CLS and what do you aspire to achieve together with the Swedish-Portuguese business community?
- At the Bizfeira, we had the chance to meet with CLS members and found that we collaborate greatly in regard to a shared goal of supporting the Portuguese business community. Like us, the CLS is an inclusive community that is dedicated to using business to better the lives of others and create opportunities collaboratively. This is something we hope to achieve by working with the other members that are also a part of the CLS network.
At CLS, we are very happy to welcome Spiela as a new member to our community in 2020. Their expertise and value-driven business model will contribute to the already vast and diverse skillset displayed throughout our business community.
