The first version of the application developed by Prosoon, which allows schools, associations and companies to issue skills certifications authenticated using blockchain, has been available since January 2023. Why use blockchain technology for these certifications?
Today, getting a fake Stanford diploma costs around $100 online. With a little knowledge of the tools, it is possible to forge any parchment. Blockchain technology responds to this. When a transaction is carried out using this technology, it is recorded in a decentralized digital register whose content cannot be modified, falsified or erased. It is a technology at the service of proof, to put confidence where there is none.
What is the benefit of this certification for recruiters?
First of all, it saves time. If a person shows up with a diploma certified by Prosoon, the recruiter does not need to check this background, since it is tamper-proof thanks to the blockchain. In addition, when a beneficiary receives the link to their certified diploma, the latter is completely anonymized. This way, the identity of this person is preserved when a recruiter clicks on their certification. In this way, the latter engages in a process of combating discrimination in hiring, while being assured of the skills of the beneficiary of the certifications. Prosoon’s promise is to allow everyone, on the basis of meritocracy, to go for an interview regardless of their skin color, address, gender, age, etc.
What is the place of businesses in the Prosoon project?
They occupy a very important place. Starting next year, Prosoon will offer an application interface for recruiting companies. The objective is to develop a form of recruitment solution, in order to create a match between the skills of Prosoon beneficiaries available on the job market and the needs of companies. This makes it possible to build bridges between the socio-economic world and schools. And of course, they are also potential clients for “micro-certifying” the skills of their employees within the company itself.
What is the purpose of “micro-certifying” an employee’s competence?
Micro-certifications of skills allow the highlighting of each person’s specificities and the enhancement of personal and professional experiences. This is why Prosoon is not only aimed at schools but also at associations and businesses. In this case, this allows an employee to be rewarded and obtain proof that they participated in a project, a seminar or a hackathon, for example.
What are the next steps for Prosoon, which is currently incubated at Semia and supported by the Grand Est region, Bpifrance and the Réseau Entreprendre Alsace association?
Prosoon aims to become the specialist in employment-oriented certification dedicated to skills. A long-term objective is to grow the company to reach 10 employees in ten years. But the first short-term objective is to reach 200 customers by December 2024, that is to say, multiply the number of our current customers by ten. Among these new clients, we are mainly looking for companies and recruiters. The Alsatian company specializing in human resources Link Group is already working with us. We are also in fairly advanced discussions with L’Oréal. For us, there is a real challenge of marketing but also of internationalization of the start-up in the next two years.
