For many job seekers, the process of finding meaningful employment is exhausting, frustrating, and often discouraging. The endless cycle of filling out applications, tailoring resumes, and submitting cover letters—only to hear nothing back—can feel like a full-time job in itself.
For newcomers to the country, non-native speakers, or those unfamiliar with modern hiring practices, the barriers are even higher. But SageMaster AI, an innovative AI-powered job search platform, is changing that. Founded by serial entrepreneur and engineer Neji Tawo, SageMaster AI is built to reduce friction, increase efficiency, and help job seekers land their dream roles faster and smarter.
“Before SageMaster AI, people were applying blindly—just sending out 100 applications and hoping for the best,” says Tawo. “Now, they’re doing it intelligently. The platform analyzes your resume, finds job opportunities that match your experience, and even highlights the skills you need to improve. Instead of wasting time on jobs you’re not suited for, you can focus on the ones where you’re a great fit.”
An Entrepreneurial Journey Rooted in Problem-Solving
Tawo’s path to founding SageMaster AI was anything but conventional. A serial entrepreneur with a background in engineering, he has spent two decades building startups focused on artificial intelligence.
His previous company developed AI technology for Amazon’s Alexa, aiming to make it more intuitive for tasks like ordering groceries. However, when Amazon’s leadership changed, the entire Alexa team was abruptly let go—derailing years of work.
Suddenly left without resources, Tawo had to rethink his next move. “I was waiting for my lawyer to respond about a contract issue, and I thought, why don’t I just build my own AI that can analyze contracts and tell me what I need to know?” That idea led to a breakthrough—an AI-powered tool that could interpret legal contracts.
“I was literally homeless at the time—working out of cafes, trying to make something out of nothing,” he recalls. “One day, a lawyer tapped me on the shoulder and asked what I was building. When I explained it, she said, ‘Oh my God, we need that.’ She handed me $100 on the spot and asked for a license when I was done. That was the moment I knew I had something.”
His AI-powered legal tool gained traction with law firms, but Tawo soon realized lawyers were slow to adopt new technology. Looking for a better way to scale his AI, he pivoted. “I asked myself, what is the one thing everyone on LinkedIn is there for? The answer was simple: jobs.”
That realization led to the creation of SageMaster AI. Instead of merely helping users browse job listings, the platform acts as a personal job-hunting assistant.
- It scans hundreds of job sites at once, consolidating listings into a single place.
- It instantly generates tailored resumes and cover letters for each application.
- It identifies skill gaps in a candidate’s resume and suggests training programs to fill them.
- And with one click, users can apply for hundreds of jobs—without the headache of repetitive form-filling.
“We are continuously innovating,” says Tawo. “Now, we’re not just showing you jobs—we’re helping you apply smarter. With one click, you get a custom resume and cover letter tailored to the job posting.”
Beyond just making the job search easier, SageMaster AI has a deep social impact. The platform is particularly beneficial for newcomers to Canada, who often struggle to get their resumes noticed due to language barriers or unfamiliarity with local hiring practices.
“We are very, very big on helping newcomers,” says Tawo. “Someone coming from another country might upload a resume in Mandarin, and our platform can convert it into a professional English resume, tailored for the job they want. That alone opens doors that otherwise would have been closed.”
Tawo was introduced to Innovate Calgary’s Social Innovation Hub through a LinkedIn connection. The hub, which supports startups focused on social impact, was a perfect fit for SageMaster AI’s mission. “I saw what they were doing, and I knew we aligned,” he says. “Being part of the Social Innovation Hub has given us networking opportunities, access to events, and a place to work every day. It’s been a fantastic community.”
What’s Next for SageMaster AI?
With over 1,000 active users, SageMaster AI is growing rapidly. The company is now focusing on partnerships with universities and post-secondary institutions to help students transition into the workforce.
“We just had a meeting with a university in Ontario with 11,000 students,” Tawo shares. “We’re onboarding them so they can use SageMaster AI to find internships and first jobs. That’s where we’re headed—helping even more people get into the workforce.”
The company is also redesigning its user interface to enhance the experience and make the platform even more intuitive. “The goal is simple: make job searching less stressful and more effective,” he says.
For Tawo, AI isn’t just about automation—it’s about empowerment. “I believe AI should mean Augmented Intelligence, not Artificial Intelligence,” he says. “It should help people—not replace them. The goal isn’t to take over jobs, but to make job searching smarter, faster, and more accessible.”
With SageMaster AI, job seekers no longer must go through the process alone. Thanks to AI-driven insights, custom applications, and skill-building recommendations, the platform is giving more people a fair shot at finding work—and reshaping the future of job searching in the process.