Meet SkippyEd
Our Story
We started SkippyEd because we’ve walked the winding path of career change—and we know just how critical those early career choices can be. Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions a person makes, yet most students are left to navigate it with little more than guesswork or outdated advice.
In a world overflowing with data, it struck us as deeply wrong that such a life-shaping decision isn’t backed by smarter tools.
We built SkippyEd to change that. Our platform empowers students with AI-driven guidance rooted in real insights—not assumptions—while involving the people who know them best: parents, teachers, and peers. Because every student deserves a career choice that fits who they are—and where the world is going.
Our Approach
- Family-centered - We involve parents throughout the process because family is a student’s greatest support system. Our reports are designed to reflect both the student’s profile and the perspectives of those who know them best, building alignment and trust around a shared direction.
- AI-Powered, constantly evolving - Our career guide leverages AI to match students with career paths based on their unique profile, while regularly updating to reflect new roles and education pathways in a rapidly changing world.
- Built for the future of work - We don’t just recommend the most popular careers—we highlight the ones with long-term relevance. By embedding a future-of-work lens, we help students aim toward careers for the future.
- Tech + human - While our platform offers everything a student needs to make an informed decision, we also offer optional 1-on-1 counselor calls—for clarity, support, or just someone to talk things through.
Our team
Suseen Babu
Dr. Jonathan Downing
Craig Ritchie
Co-Founder - Vision & Partnerships
Suseen had the original idea for SkippyEd and brings strong relationships with schools and other partners throughout India.
He’s passionate about helping students make better career choices and is leading external engagement and growth.
Craig Ritchie
Dr. Jonathan Downing
Craig Ritchie
Co-Founder - Product & Education
Experienced in education and a certified career counsellor, Craig is the backbone of our product design.
He ensures the guidance we offer is deeply student-centered and grounded in best-practice counseling frameworks.
Dr. Jonathan Downing
Dr. Jonathan Downing
Dr. Jonathan Downing
Co-Founder - AI & Matching Science
A PhD in Machine Learning from Oxford, Jonathan leads the development of our career matching engine.
His research focuses on the future of work, helping us match students to where the world is heading—not where it’s been.
Venu Thamotharan
Venu Thamotharan
Dr. Jonathan Downing
Software Engineering
Venu helps lead the development of our platform, ensuring everything we build is scalable, secure, and future-ready. His work helps us bring the product to life for our users.
Anikate De
Venu Thamotharan
Ashutosh Korde
Software Engineering
Anikate supports our backend and cloud architecture, helping to build a reliable and scalable foundation on AWS and streamline how our systems interact with student data.
Ashutosh Korde
Venu Thamotharan
Ashutosh Korde
Machine Learning
Ashutosh contributes to the development and refinement of our career recommendation engine, ensuring that every student receives accurate, personalized guidance.