# Emerge Career

> Emerge Career is a New York-based reentry and workforce development company that partners with governments to train and place justice-involved and low-income people into high-paying, AI-resilient skilled-trade careers such as commercial truck driving, HVAC, and diesel technology. Its technology platform combines self-paced vocational coursework, exam prep, trauma-informed career coaching, and job placement, with training delivered in partnership with licensed schools and correctional agencies. Founded in 2022 out of Y Combinator by Uzoma Orchingwa and Gabriel Saruhashi, the company has won state and city contracts from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York City's Next Mile NYC program.

- **Founded:** 2022
- **Headquarters:** New York, New York, United States
- **Founders:** Uzoma Orchingwa (Co-Founder & CEO), Gabriel Saruhashi (Co-Founder & CTO)
- **Team size:** ~14 employees
- **Products:** CDL Training Program, Workforce Management Software, Career Coaching & Job Placement, Expanded Trades Training
- **Notable:** 94% graduation rate in FY2024 with all graduates receiving job offers (average starting salary ~$75,000)., Inaugural 2025 Next Mile NYC cohort saw every graduate receive a trucking job offer, with starting salaries from $78,000 to $124,000., Raised $3.2M seed round led by Alexis Ohanian's 776 (2022).

## Products & services

- **CDL Training Program** — Self-paced Commercial Driver's License training combining video coursework, exam prep, and hands-on instruction through licensed partner schools, designed to be completed in roughly two months.
- **Workforce Management Software** — A platform for government agencies to run, track, and analyze vocational training and job-placement programs, including program analytics and outcome reporting.
- **Career Coaching & Job Placement** — Trauma-informed career coaching and placement services connecting graduates to employers in high-demand trades such as trucking, HVAC, and diesel technology.
- **Expanded Trades Training** — Vocational pathways beyond trucking, including HVAC, diesel technology, welding, and construction trades.

## Achievements

- 94% graduation rate in FY2024 with all graduates receiving job offers (average starting salary ~$75,000).
- Inaugural 2025 Next Mile NYC cohort saw every graduate receive a trucking job offer, with starting salaries from $78,000 to $124,000.
- Raised $3.2M seed round led by Alexis Ohanian's 776 (2022).
- Secured government contracts in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York City.
- Co-founder Uzoma Orchingwa named to MIT Technology Review's 35 Innovators Under 35 (2022); co-founder Gabriel Saruhashi named to Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business (2021) and Forbes 30 Under 30.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Next Mile NYC expanded to Rikers Island under Mayor Mamdani, connecting incarcerated New Yorkers to high-paying jobs.
- **2025-08** — Mayor Adams announced a major expansion of the big-rig (CDL) training program for justice-involved New Yorkers, scaling Next Mile NYC to ~290 participants.
- **2025-06** — Massachusetts' Healey administration awarded Emerge Career a $1.4M grant to train and place 150 justice-involved individuals.
- **2025-01** — Boston Globe reported on Emerge Career's program giving incarcerated people CDL training in Massachusetts, with graduates averaging $75,000.
- **2022-11** — Raised $3.2M seed round and announced an $845K contract with the Connecticut Department of Labor.

## Links

- Website: https://www.emergecareer.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emerge-career
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Emerge-Career-61566387542080/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/emerge-career
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-06