About us | Formation
Why we started Formation
We started Formation with one simple goal in mind: to help exceptional engineers land life-changing roles.
2011
We started as engineers at Meta and Nextdoor
As early engineers at Meta and Nextdoor, we collectively interviewed thousands of software engineering candidates and noticed the same skill gaps popping up over and over.
2015
We found that many of our interview candidates were never set up for success
We tried to change this through mentorship at various bootcamps. However, we found that existing options never prepared engineers in real production environments and were skipping over important computer science fundamentals. As a result, candidates were often unprepared for the engineering job market.
2020
We decided to flip the traditional mentorship model on its head to help engineers achieve excellence
In 2020, we founded Formation and launched our flagship interview prep. The Fellow is at the center of their journey. Instead of a one-size-fits-all track, we leverage adaptive prep technology to pinpoint personal areas of weakness. We aim all our mentorship at those skill gaps so that every Fellow is reliably ready to compete at the top tier.
Our platform champions equity and supports engineers throughout their careers
More than 75% of our Fellows come from underrepresented or non-traditional backgrounds. Because the landscape of jobs in the technology industry is constantly evolving, we know how important it is that engineers feel supported well beyond their first offer letter. Today, we back engineers throughout their careers as they progress to mid- or senior-level roles and beyond.
With the support of Andreessen Horowitz and other top funds, we are growing
We raised a $4 million Seed Round led by Connie Chan at Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Designer Fund, Combine, Lachy Groom, Slow Ventures, and engineering leaders from Airbnb, Notion, Rippling. With this funding, we're building a more diverse and capable workforce to fill the 400,000 open technical roles in the U.S.
2026
Our outcomes speak for themselves
We consistently place our Fellows at top-tier companies like Meta, Google, and Airbnb with an $89k+ average compensation increase per Fellow placed in 2025, as of 12/31.
Who we are
Sophie Novati
She/Her
Founder and CEO
6+ years as Staff Engineer @Facebook, @Nextdoor
Interviewed and mentored 100+ software engineers
Founded Formation to fix the inequities in the tech industry
Michael Novati
He/Him
Founder and CTO
8+ years as Senior Staff Software Engineer @Facebook
Top all-time committer to @Facebook’s codebase during his tenure
Founded Formation to help create more diverse engineering teams
Toby Silverman
He/Him
Lead Product Designer
Took a nontraditional education path and attended @Tradecraft
Formerly Senior Product Designer, Growth @Codeacademy
Designing products that work for nontraditional learners
Kate Dickhoner
She/Her
Fellow Manager
Asst. Director of Global Education and Engagement @UNC Charlotte
Former Fulbright Fellow at University of Montenegro
Helping engineers excel in their careers
Michael Frank
He/Him
Account Executive
6+ Years as Head of Admissions @hackreactor @galvanize
Specialized in helping upskill elite Software Engineers
Passionate about the ability of adaptive learning to create top-tier career outcomes
Kaitlin Rupert
She/Her
Fellow Manager
18+ years of experience as a software engineer + engineering manager
Passionate about mentoring engineers and unlocking amazing career outcomes
Excited to help Fellows up-level their engineering skills and pursue their dream roles
Joy Scott
She/Her
Program Manager
Led STEM programs for 8 universities with Google, Airbnb & Dropbox
10+ years in education & program management
Drove retention & growth for enterprise learning programs