DRC: Janice Omadeke, creator of “The Mentor Method”, a software that promotes egalitarian mentoring programs

Janice Omadeke is a Congolese-born entrepreneur. She is the founder of “The Mentor Method”, a company that helps organizations set up mentoring programs for their employees, while promoting equal employment opportunities. She was ranked in the Forbes Next 1000 2021 list which highlights entrepreneurs.

It was through the experience of her father, an immigrant to the US, who benefited from a mentoring program, which enabled him to get a job in the private sector and thus improve the conditions of his entire family, that Janice Omadeke realised the impact of these programs on someone’s career and environment. In 2016, she decided to create “The Mentor Method”,  a software that aims to promote more mentoring, while promoting equality between people. It corrects the old mentoring programs in companies where it was possible to predict the Mentor-Mentee duos, which encouraged discrimination.

A software that fights against stereotypes

“The Mentor Method” is a software program which, thanks to a double-blind algorithm, makes it possible to fight against stereotypes in the mentoring process. Therefore, it becomes impossible for both the experimenters and the participants to know who is getting preferential treatment. The algorithm uses potential compatibility to suggest matches and form mentor-mentee pairs. It also identifies and maintains relationships between the mentee and the mentor.

The company has enormous potential. The investor round includes Draper Associates, Chris Pacitti of Elsewhere Partners, MATH Venture partners, Sorenson Impact Fund, Backstage Capital, Alumni Ventures Group…. In 2021, Janice Omadeke became the 94th woman in the US to raise over $1 million in venture capital through her company.

A long experience as a graphic designer

Prior to creating « The Mentor Method », she had almost 10 years of experience in the professional world. She graduated from Longwood University in 2009 and received a Certificate in Strategic Management from Harvard University in 2015. She started her professional career in 2009 as a Graphic Designer at ITT Defense & Information Solutions. Her other experiences as a Lead Graphic Designer include KS International LLC, from 2012 to 2013 where she was the Graphic Director and managed the corporate branding program, and BAE systems from 2013 to 2014, a UK defence and aerospace company. She was also Creative Design Manager at PwC from 2014 to 2018. There, she created a scratch mentoring program.

Since October 2020, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Austin Forum on Technology and Society. She is also a member of the Board of Hoby Texas North, a youth NGO focused on leadership and service.

Since 2019, she has been the CEO of « The Mentor Method ». Today, her company is a member of the Google for Startups program. She has also won several awards and distinctions. She was named DivInc’s Champion of Change Diversity Champion of the Year for the city of Austin. Her company was also a finalist for the annual Grace Hopper Conference in 2018. Black Entreprise also recognized her as one of the top 5 women of African descent in technology in District Columbia, DC.