Torch (YC W18) is a unique startup based in San Francisco that grew from the Y Combinator. It fills the coaching/mentoring gap for large and small companies.

The greatest challenge for any employer is putting your employees in a position to succeed. Employee development and retention is a touchy issue. Sometimes, executives simply don’t have time to offer extensive handholding to their teams. The cost of a losing a good employee is tantamount to losing a key customer.

How can this problem be fixed? Did your employees end up in a better place from the time they started their journey? Is it possible to leverage a ‘coaching-on-demand’ model and make it an indispensable part of the employee experience? Can more ‘rock stars’ be developed by offering more mentoring? Torch offers answers to these questions and is packaged nicely for HR leaders.

The current employee engagement model can seem Darwinian (i.e., survival of the fittest) especially in Silicon Valley. The up-or-out career model still holds true. Torch shows how employee productivity can improve using kindler, gentler methods. It also empowers talented coaches and brings them into the workplace ecosystem. It’s an exciting time for Torch to help companies develop their talent pools.

I’m happy to help Torch on their customer success journey.