DINQ, a platform targeting artificial intelligence researchers, developers, and early-career professionals, announced the launch of its AI-native career network on January 12, 2026. The company aims to solve what it describes as one of the most urgent challenges in AI: finding qualified, impact-driven talent. As AI adoption accelerates, the primary constraint is no longer capital or infrastructure but access to proven skilled professionals, according to the company.
Traditional hiring platforms rely on static resumes and keyword-based searches that fail to capture how technical talent builds and collaborates. Many top AI researchers do not maintain LinkedIn profiles, and their actual work—code, papers, open-source contributions—remains scattered. DINQ addresses this by creating a DINQ Card, a dynamic professional identity that aggregates research, repositories, and signals from platforms such as GitHub, arXiv, Google Scholar, and LinkedIn into one continuously updated profile. This allows hiring teams to evaluate candidates based on what they have built rather than where they have worked.
“AI is not just changing how we hire. It is redefining what talent even means,” said Sam Ko, founder and CEO of DINQ. “In the AI era, resumes, titles, and static profiles are obsolete. What truly matters is the real signal: what you build, who you collaborate with, and how fast you evolve.” Kelvin Sun, co-founder and COO, added that hiring for AI is about performance, not pedigree. Sun previously served as technology portfolio talent partner at Sequoia Capital China, advising nearly 100 top technology startups.
The launch aligns with the 2026 hiring cycle, as the first quarter typically sees increased hiring activity from companies and recent graduates. According to industry estimates, more than two million AI-related roles will remain unfilled globally in 2026, and recruiters report growing difficulty sourcing qualified candidates despite record investment in AI. DINQ is positioned to match this demand with better discovery and faster connections.
The DINQ Card is available at https://dinq.me at no cost, and users can begin showcasing their work within minutes. The platform is designed for AI-era builders, researchers, and developers, allowing them to trace and share their creative footprint from papers and code to measurable impact, so they get recognized by top VCs, professors, and recruiters.
