Rachel Theka
Solving America’s Skilled Trades Gap with AI
Tech entrepreneur passionate about solving real-world economic challenges through education technology. Currently addressing the skilled trades labor shortage—a crisis expected to leave 2.1 million roles unfilled by 2030.
Current Project: FinLink AI
FinLink AI is an AI-powered platform helping students get funded, trained, and hired—faster. We’re focused on closing the skilled trades gap by connecting students with funding, advising, and employer-aligned career paths.
🎤 Public Speaker
Educating entrepreneurs on startup growth, cybersecurity, and digital operations with organizations like Verizon Small Business Digital Ready.
📚 Self-Funded Scholar
Earned both BA and MBA without student loans—funded entirely through entrepreneurship, micro-donations, and strategic tuition negotiation.
🔐 Cybersecurity Leader
Led enterprise security and compliance programs for Fortune 500 companies, overseeing risk mitigation and regulatory readiness.
About Me
I’m Rachel — a tech entrepreneur and strategist with 15+ years in cybersecurity, fintech, and SaaS leadership. I bootstrapped my own education with $100K in micro-donations and side hustles, and now I’m building the platform I wish I had.
My work at FinLink AI focuses on compressing the path from high school to skilled trade careers—combining AI advising, micro-donor discovery, and employer-aligned training pipelines.
Professional Journey
- Entrepreneur-in-Residence at NJIT’s New Jersey Innovation Institute
- Tech Innovator: Led EverLiv, a NSF-funded digital legacy platform
- Startup & Nonprofit Consultant for 17+ years with clients including Verizon, Rutgers, and The Toy Foundation
- Cybersecurity Manager for Fortune 500 companies
Personal
Mother of three curious kids, frequent visitor to local libraries (we love a great children’s room), believer in community powered economic mobility.
🧠 Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Worked with university tech transfer teams at NJIT’s New Jersey Innovation Institute on commercializing research and launching ventures.
🤝 Startup & Nonprofit Consultant
Advisor and strategist for 17+ years, with clients including Verizon, Rutgers, The Toy Foundation, and dozens of grassroots initiatives.
👩👧👦 Lifelong Learner, Parent, Advocate
Mother of three curious kids, frequent visitor to local libraries, believer in community powered economic mobility.
FinLink AI: Funding the Future of Skilled Trades
FinLink AI is a tech platform helping students get funded, trained, and hired—faster. We’re focused on closing the skilled trades gap by connecting students with funding, advising, and employer-aligned career paths—all powered by AI.
2.1M
U.S. manufacturing jobs could go unfilled by 2030
$1T
Potential economic loss due to skilled trades gap
91%
Job satisfaction in skilled trades roles
Our AI-native platform includes:
- A personalized AI advisor to guide students through career selection and education planning
- Micro-donor and CSR sponsor matching to unlock new scholarship capital
- Secure disbursement tools that ensure funding goes directly to job-aligned training
- Generative storytelling features that help students share their journey
How FinLink Bridges the Gap
FinLink unlocks debt-free, hyper-local access to well-paying trade careers by deploying AI advisors, matching students with micro-donors, and powering secure donation tools with generative storytelling to scale community funding.
We’re helping close a trillion-dollar gap—and empowering students to enter resilient, mission-critical careers that fuel America’s AI-driven economy.
Why FinLink Matters
- A 2021 study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute projects that 2.1 million U.S. manufacturing jobs could go unfilled by 2030
- Blue-collar jobs are resisting AI disruption—you can’t automate hands-on tasks like installation or repairs
- Surveys consistently show that Gen Z and trade professionals report up to 89–91% job satisfaction in skilled roles
Writing & Perspectives
Thoughts on AI, education, and workforce transformation.
The College Funding Trick I Used—No Loans, No Clickbait
Planned for LinkedIn August 2025
How AI Can Compress the Skilled Trades Pipeline
Planned for Medium – Fall 2025
Rethinking Scholarships: Micro-Donors and the Future of Funding
Planned for LinkedIn
Building Tech for the People Who Build Everything Else
Planned for EdSurge
Want to publish or collaborate? Contact me to discuss potential writing opportunities.
Get In Touch
Want to talk about FinLink, vocational scholarships, public speaking, or startup opportunities?
You can also reach me directly at: