n 2018, while serving as an Entrepreneur in Residence at LinkedIn, Nitzan Pelman became passionate about unlocking social capital for disadvantaged job seekers, because “who you know matters almost as much as what you know.” That conviction led her to found Climb Hire, which paired in-demand skills training with network building. More than 70% of participants dramatically increased their wages.
Today, as Founder and CEO of Climb Together, Nitzan is bringing that work to colleges at scale. Climb Together helps institutions teach students the relationship-building skills that lead to internships, referrals, and jobs. Its AI career coach, Goldi, lets students practice before they reach out to faculty, alumni, and professionals. The model began with an 18-month partnership with LaGuardia Community College and is now expanding to 13 institutions, with the potential to reach more than 320,000 learners. Along the way, Nitzan has become a national voice on teaching social capital, sharing these lessons with college leaders and workforce practitioners across the country.
Before Climb Hire and Climb Together, Nitzan founded ReUp Education, which helped 100,000 students return to complete their college degrees. She also launched the New York region of Citizen Schools. She is a Presidential Leadership Scholar, an Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow, and a LinkedIn Top Voice Influencer. Nitzan holds a Master’s in Public Administration from New York University and a BA from Stern College for Women, with prior roles at the NYC Department of Education, KIPP, and Teach For America.
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