diff --git a/__tests__/schema/profile.ts b/__tests__/schema/profile.ts
index a47e64988c..8e365a5b0c 100644
--- a/__tests__/schema/profile.ts
+++ b/__tests__/schema/profile.ts
@@ -622,6 +622,7 @@ describe('mutation upsertUserGeneralExperience', () => {
           description: 'Built a popular browser extension for developers',
           startedAt: new Date('2021-01-01'),
           url: 'https://github.com/dailydotdev/extension',
+          customCompanyName: 'Personal Project',
         },
       },
     });
@@ -741,6 +742,7 @@ describe('mutation upsertUserGeneralExperience', () => {
           title: 'Self-taught Developer',
           startedAt: new Date('2020-01-01'),
           companyId: null,
+          customCompanyName: 'Self-taught',
         },
       },
     });
@@ -748,6 +750,7 @@ describe('mutation upsertUserGeneralExperience', () => {
     expect(res.errors).toBeFalsy();
     expect(res.data.upsertUserGeneralExperience).toMatchObject({
       company: null,
+      customCompanyName: 'Self-taught',
     });
   });
 
@@ -784,6 +787,7 @@ describe('mutation upsertUserGeneralExperience', () => {
             type: 'certification',
             title: 'Test',
             startedAt: new Date('2020-01-01'),
+            customCompanyName: 'Test Company',
           },
         },
       },
@@ -805,6 +809,7 @@ describe('mutation upsertUserGeneralExperience', () => {
             type: 'work',
             title: 'Hacked Title',
             startedAt: new Date('2021-01-01'),
+            customCompanyName: 'Some Company',
           },
         },
       },
@@ -829,6 +834,7 @@ describe('mutation upsertUserGeneralExperience', () => {
           type: 'project',
           title: 'Updated Project Title',
           startedAt: new Date('2021-06-01'),
+          companyId: 'company-1',
         },
       },
     });
@@ -959,6 +965,29 @@ describe('mutation upsertUserGeneralExperience', () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it('should fail when experience has neither companyId nor customCompanyName', async () => {
+    loggedUser = '1';
+
+    const experienceTypes = ['work', 'education', 'project', 'certification'];
+
+    for (const type of experienceTypes) {
+      await testQueryErrorCode(
+        client,
+        {
+          query: UPSERT_USER_GENERAL_EXPERIENCE_MUTATION,
+          variables: {
+            input: {
+              type,
+              title: 'Test Experience',
+              startedAt: new Date('2023-01-01'),
+            },
+          },
+        },
+        'ZOD_VALIDATION_ERROR',
+      );
+    }
+  });
+
   it('should create experience without optional fields', async () => {
     loggedUser = '1';
 
@@ -968,6 +997,7 @@ describe('mutation upsertUserGeneralExperience', () => {
           type: 'project',
           title: 'Minimal Project',
           startedAt: new Date('2023-01-01'),
+          customCompanyName: 'Project Organization',
         },
       },
     });
@@ -981,6 +1011,7 @@ describe('mutation upsertUserGeneralExperience', () => {
       endedAt: null,
       url: null,
       company: null,
+      customCompanyName: 'Project Organization',
     });
   });
 
@@ -1244,6 +1275,7 @@ describe('mutation upsertUserWorkExperience', () => {
             type: 'work',
             title: 'Hacked Title',
             startedAt: new Date('2021-01-01'),
+            customCompanyName: 'Some Company',
             skills: [],
           },
         },
@@ -1502,6 +1534,25 @@ describe('mutation upsertUserWorkExperience', () => {
       skills: [],
     });
   });
+
+  it('should fail when work experience has neither companyId nor customCompanyName', async () => {
+    loggedUser = '1';
+
+    await testQueryErrorCode(
+      client,
+      {
+        query: UPSERT_USER_WORK_EXPERIENCE_MUTATION,
+        variables: {
+          input: {
+            type: 'work',
+            title: 'Software Engineer',
+            startedAt: new Date('2023-01-01'),
+          },
+        },
+      },
+      'ZOD_VALIDATION_ERROR',
+    );
+  });
 });
 
 describe('mutation removeUserExperience', () => {
diff --git a/src/common/schema/profile.ts b/src/common/schema/profile.ts
index f5c4423738..bf83b38c03 100644
--- a/src/common/schema/profile.ts
+++ b/src/common/schema/profile.ts
@@ -22,9 +22,7 @@ export const userExperienceInputBaseSchema = z.object({
     .trim()
     .normalize()
     .max(100)
-    .nonempty()
-    .nullable()
-    .optional()
+    .nullish()
     .default(null),
 });
 
@@ -72,6 +70,15 @@ const experienceTypeToSchema: Record<
   [UserExperienceType.OpenSource]: userExperienceProjectSchema,
 };
 
+const experienceCompanyCopy = {
+  [UserExperienceType.Work]: 'Company',
+  [UserExperienceType.Education]: 'School',
+  [UserExperienceType.Project]: 'Publisher',
+  [UserExperienceType.Certification]: 'Organization',
+  [UserExperienceType.OpenSource]: 'Organization',
+  [UserExperienceType.Volunteering]: 'Organization',
+};
+
 export const getExperienceSchema = (type: UserExperienceType) => {
   return experienceTypeToSchema[type].superRefine((data, ctx) => {
     if (data.endedAt && data.endedAt < data.startedAt) {
@@ -81,6 +88,13 @@ export const getExperienceSchema = (type: UserExperienceType) => {
         path: ['endedAt'],
       });
     }
+    if (!data.customCompanyName && !data.companyId) {
+      ctx.addIssue({
+        code: 'custom',
+        message: `${experienceCompanyCopy[type]} is required`,
+        path: ['customCompanyName'],
+      });
+    }
   });
 };