Recruiting talent

Hiring the right people can make or break an early-stage social enterprise. In this case study, we follow the journey of EduImpact, an education startup focused on providing low-cost digital tutoring to underserved communities in the UAE. The team leveraged Athar+’s ecosystem and services to successfully build a mission-aligned team during a critical growth phase.


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Key Takeaways

Mission-aligned hiring is essential for social enterprise success

Access to a value-driven talent network reduces hiring friction

Structured onboarding and cultural alignment improve long-term retention

Context

EduImpact launched in 2021 with a small founding team and a bold goal: to bridge the learning gap in low-income communities through a digital platform that offers affordable, bilingual tutoring. After launching a successful pilot, the startup received funding to expand its services to more schools across Abu Dhabi.
However, scaling came with a challenge — they needed to grow their team quickly, but were struggling to find candidates who had both the technical expertise and a strong alignment with their social mission. Traditional hiring platforms weren’t yielding the right results, and the team lacked a structured hiring process.

Solution

In 2023, EduImpact joined Athar+ as a member and immediately engaged with its Talent Match Program — a capacity-building initiative designed to help social enterprises recruit, onboard, and retain impact-aligned talent.

Through Athar+, EduImpact received:

• HR advisory support to define roles, compensation benchmarks, and inclusive hiring practices

• Access to a curated talent pool of professionals passionate about social impact

• Participation in Career Connect events hosted at Athar+, where jobseekers and enterprises meet face-to-face

• Templates and tools to streamline onboarding and build team culture

They also collaborated with other Athar+ members to share hiring best practices and co-host job workshops, expanding their reach organically.

Impact

Over the span of four months, EduImpact:

• Successfully hired 7 new team members, including developers, educators, and a partnerships lead

• Reduced their average time-to-hire by 50% compared to previous recruitment attempts

• Increased employee retention and satisfaction due to a clear onboarding structure and value-driven culture

• Strengthened their internal operations and team cohesion, accelerating their ability to deliver services to over 1,200 new students within the year

Today, EduImpact operates with a diverse, motivated team and is building a model for values-based recruitment that other social enterprises can replicate.