I Just Pitched Advize on Stage in Austin Texas (Here's Why That Matters for You)

Last month, I stood on a stage in Austin, Texas and pitched Advize at an event called FIESTA —a founder community focused on big ideas and building things that actually matter.

I wasn't there to talk about funding rounds or flashy metrics. I was there to talk about you.

The Problem We're Solving

Here's what I said on that stage: Students are expected to make high-stakes career decisions with almost no real information. You get job descriptions. You get salary ranges. Maybe you get one alumni panel per semester if you're lucky. But you don't get what you actually need: honest stories from people doing the work today.

Not perfect paths. Not polished resumes. Real people talking about what their job actually looks like, how they got there, what they wish they'd known, and whether they'd do it again.

That's why Advize exists.

Why We Keep Building This

When I was exploring careers, I didn't have access to professionals who looked like me or started where I started. I grew up in a small Texas town. I didn't know anyone in business, consulting, or tech. I didn't even know what jobs existed beyond what I saw around me.

And when I finally got into recruiting and started training people on career conversations, I saw the same pattern everywhere: Students were making decisions based on limited information and hoping for the best.

So I built Advize to change that.

We now have 12,000+ video interviews with professionals across industries, roles, and backgrounds. You can search by identity (first-gen, transfer, worked through school), industry, skills—whatever matters to you.

And we're not stopping there. We just launched reactions (so you can track what fits you vs what's just interesting) and levels (so you can see your progress as you explore).

What Happened After I Got Off Stage

Here's the thing that stuck with me...

After my pitch, people kept coming up to me saying the same thing: "Your pitch was the best because I wish I had Advize when I was a student."

Just people—founders, professionals, people in the audience—telling me stories about their own messy career paths. About the internship they took because it was the only one they knew existed. About the major they picked because they didn't know what else was out there. About the painful career pivot they made at 35 because they finally figured out what they actually wanted.

And every single one of them said: "I wish I'd had something like this." That's when it hit me: This isn't just a problem for current students. It's a problem that's been broken for decades.

And we're finally fixing it.

What Pitching Advize Reminded Me

Standing on that stage reminded me why this work matters. Because when I talked about Advize, I wasn't just talking about a platform. I was talking about the moment you realize people like you actually make it. I was talking about the moment you mark a video "this fits me" and start seeing a pattern in what you're drawn to.

I was talking about the moment you go from "I have no idea what I'm doing" to "I'm at Level 7, and I'm figuring it out."

That's not just product development. That's the whole point.

What Happens Next

We're going to keep building. More professionals. More industries. More features that help you turn exploration into clarity.

Because you deserve better than guessing about your future.

And every time I pitch Advize—whether it's on a stage in Austin or in a conversation with a university—I'm pitching for you.

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Your turn: Log into Advize and explore one career you've never seriously considered before.

Sometimes clarity starts with curiosity.

By Emily McSherry

Founder & CEO