Local Entrepreneur Launches Acrew, a New Tool For Job Seekers and Employers

The New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA) and local entrepreneur Crystal McDonald today announced the launch of a completely revamped service for job seekers and employers called Acrew. The tool is a resume-less marketplace that uses brief, first-impression videos and is particularly suited for high turnover industries.

NEW ORLEANS — Acrew grew out of GoToInterview, McDonald’s first foray into digital employment tools and parent company of the new app.

“Our goal is twofold. The first is to minimize the distance between job seekers and employers, particularly for those that really rely on first impressions and on a cultural fit within their organizations – things a resume can’t communicate. The second is to make the job search more fun,” explained McDonald.

Acrew’s early partners include Liberty Bank, Chicago Bar & Grill, Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans, and Atchafalaya.

“The more we can support this kind of high-growth-potential innovation, the more opportunity there is for an entrepreneurial venture like Acrew to succeed to the point of a strategic exit,” said NOLABA President and CEO Quentin L. Messer, Jr. “Our economy thrives when we have a strong mix of entrepreneurs like Acrew supported by a strong ecosystem, a network of locally owned small businesses which are also positioned to thrive, and larger employers.”

McDonald and her company have benefited from New Orleans’ growing entrepreneurial ecosystem, gaining expert counsel through NOLABA, Idea Village, New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, PowerMovesNOLA, and LookFar. Steve Case, co-founder of AOL, is also among their advisers and is an early investor. The company has also garnered investment from the New Orleans Start-Up Fund in association with PowerMovesNOLA.