Hire Scene Founders Mike and Sandra Youngblood

As a land-grant institution and leading research enterprise, NC State’s “Think and Do” mantra guides how the university solves global challenges. This entrepreneurial mindset drives students beyond just good ideas to practical solutions that solve a real-world problem.

More than 125 startup companies began life at NC State and 550 new commercial products started as university research. Multinational companies like SAS Institute and Cree trace their beginnings to NC State, and many grew out of Centennial Campus.

Hire Scene is the latest innovation stemming from the Technology Incubator at Centennial Campus, which brings private and university-based entrepreneurs together to activate growth and economic vitality.

Founded by NC State alumni, Mike (’81) and Sandra (’82) Youngblood, Hire Scene is a free mobile app designed to instantly link app users to immediately available, flexible employment opportunities in the hospitality industry.

“The modern workforce is evolving in how we choose to live and work. We are seeing growing numbers of professionals and college students gravitating towards contingent employment because of the inherent flexibility it provides,” said Mike Youngblood, president and CEO, Hire Scene. “Hire Scene allows anyone with skills in the hospitality industry to take advantage of the gig economy – making your own schedule to work when you want, where you want.”

The process is simple: create a profile on the Hire Scene app and the team will connect with you to set up a virtual interview and orientation session. Once this process is complete, app users can browse available shifts and receive notifications about job openings in their vicinity. The app connects users to event-based hospitality positions such as servers, bartenders, stewards, concessions and more, often filling spots within minutes.

By combining artificial intelligence algorithms, social media and mobile technologies, Hire Scene creates rapid connectivity between venues and app users, and allows both parties to mutually rate their experience once jobs are completed. The job-matching technology and rating system is comparable to on-demand car services that have revolutionized individual travel options.

After successfully pairing app users with employment opportunities in Wilmington, N.C., Hire Scene is expanding its footprint across the Triangle region, with plans to go live across the Carolinas and beyond in the coming years.

“NC State’s Centennial Campus is a proving ground for public-private collaboration that drives new ideas,” said Dennis Kekas, associate vice chancellor of partnerships and economic development at NC State. “Hire Scene is a great example of how our graduates are solving challenges with advanced technologies, embodying the entrepreneurial ‘think and do’ spirit of the university.”

To learn more about Hire Scene, visit www.hirescene.com, or download in the app store.

To learn more about entrepreneurship at NC State, visit https://entrepreneurship.ncsu.edu/.