Work Simplr (Techstars ‘25, Gener8tor '24)

WorkSimplr started with a simple but urgent question: Why is it so hard for capable students to get real work experience — and why are businesses still struggling to find help? Jodi McPherson saw this firsthand as a parent and a business leader. Students with talent, grit, and potential were stuck on the sidelines. Traditional internships were gatekept, time-consuming, and often left people out — especially first-gen students, community college learners, and anyone who didn’t have the “right” connections. So she flipped the model. WorkSimplr was built to make work accessible: short-term, paid, real-world projects embedded into higher ed systems. No fluff. No false barriers. Just opportunity — for students to earn and learn, and for companies to get work done faster. It started as a scrappy pilot. Now it’s a movement. WorkSimplr exists to create pathways that didn’t exist—until now. And it’s doing it with clarity, purpose, and relentless heart.