The Story Behind Jex Pivot to International Students

One of the hardest decisions a founder can make is to pivot — especially when everything looks like it’s going well. But sometimes, you have to step back and make a tough call to go further.

Let me share our story.

The Journey to Jex

Before Jex, we ran a staffing agency that grew to $1.8M in revenue in a year. We placed talent in over 20 companies (3 with market caps > $1B). But as we scaled, we realized a major issue: the traditional staffing model lacked transparency. Salary markups, hidden fees, and limited direct negotiation left talent frustrated.

Lessons from Our First Leap

Back in February, we launched Jex with one goal: to connect global talent with hiring companies in a better way. Our platform was different — no middlemen cuts, no salary markups. Talent and companies could negotiate directly, and the platform handled compliance and payroll with a SaaS subscription.

And it worked.

We grew fast. Talent users grew by 80% month over month — all organically. We didn’t spend a dollar on paid ads. Within a few months, we hit $500,000 in payroll volume with 30+ hires.

Everything seemed great. But beneath the surface, we had a major problem.

The Cracks Started to Show

Despite our growth in users, revenue wasn’t keeping pace. To attract companies, we priced ourselves lower than big players like Deel, Gusto, Rippling, etc. $35 subscriptions with long sales cycles (companies hiring) is tough.

Companies started requesting advanced features — ones we couldn’t deliver without expensive licenses and significant development time.

We realized our business model wasn’t working.

We were trying to do too many things at once. And that’s how startups fail.

Time to Pivot

We sat down as a team and reevaluated everything. We ranked our software features, talked to our users, and asked one key question: What makes Jex unique?

The answer hit close to home.

We realized we’d built a tool with a powerful edge in helping international students. As a former international student myself, I understood their struggles: the race to secure a job within 90 days after graduation, navigating the sponsorship process, and building a network from scratch.

It’s a group that’s largely overlooked by traditional platforms, and after interviewing over 80 international students (thanks Reddit), we knew this was where we could make the biggest impact.

A New Chapter for Jex

Jex is now focused entirely on international students.

We are building an AI assistant that connects international students directly with hiring decision-makers.

It all starts with a dynamic profile. These profiles go beyond traditional resumes, giving students a way to showcase what makes them unique — like their interpersonal skills, accomplishments, and life experiences. Profile includes:

• AI-powered soft skills interviews: A short video format where students can highlight their communication skills, cultural fit, and personality.
• Clear visa status details: Employers can easily understand work authorization, removing confusion about hiring international talent.

Once the profile is complete, Jex’s AI assistant steps in:

• Real-time job monitoring: Tracks openings from major job boards.
• Visa sponsorship: Identifies companies with a history of hiring international talent using data from USCIS and the Department of Labor.
• Identifies Decision-makers: Finds key hiring managers at those companies through a B2B contact database.
• Personalized outreach: Sends tailored messages directly to decision-makers.

Unlike a traditional marketplace, Jex doesn’t need employers on the platform to provide immediate value to international students. Instead, we gather and process data — job openings, visa sponsorship history, and contact information for decision-makers — so users can run automated outreach campaigns directly from their own email or LinkedIn to the right people.

Why It Matters

There are over 1 million international students in the U.S., contributing $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Over 70% want to stay after graduation, and less than half succeed.

The system isn’t built for them — but we are.

We believe international students deserve better opportunities to thrive.

What’s Next

Since pivoting, we’ve already seen great momentum. Over 200 international students have joined our waitlist. We are partnering with major universities. And we’re ready to launch in January 2025.

2025 is going to be a big year — not just for Jex but for the international students we’re working to support. If you’re an international student or hiring manager interested in transforming the hiring process, let’s connect.