So why don’t they have a strong financial future? If they want to set up a retirement fund, they have to do it the same way they work: independently. Gigster, a platform that connects companies with top software developers, thinks they have the solution. Their new announcement, the Gigster Fund, provides freelancers with equity in Gigster itself and in the companies they consult on. When a liquidity event like an IPO or an acquisition happens, the Gigster freelancers will get paid. Can it offer any freelancers the same financial peace of mind any normal employee enjoys? I had a chat with Gigster’s co-founder and CEO, Roger Dickey, to find out.
Why Should Those Hoping to Hire Freelancers Turn to Gigster?
Tell Me More About the Gigster Fund
What Are Your Plans to Grow Your Customer Base?
What’s the Biggest Change or Pivot You Made Developing Gigster?
The freelance and job search business is booming, and plenty of people are looking to disrupt the system. The Gigster Fund is intriguing, and their focus on custom software gigs is a good fit for the startup-like equity system they’re setting up. I’ll be keeping an eye on this experiment as it keep developing. Customer service is a differentiator for us. You can have the best talent in the world, but if your customers don’t have a positive experience there’s no incentive to reuse a service. We pair each customer with a product manager, who is the intermediary between our team of freelance developers and the client. They ensure project deadlines are met, revisions are communicated properly, and that the customer is happy. Lastly, you receive an exceptional product for about 50 percent less than what similar competitors can offer. We save money by using freelancers, which slashes many overhead costs. We also complete projects on aggressive deadlines. Depending on complexity, apps take about four months, websites three months, and site redesigns one to two months.” Currently our client base consists mostly of the technology companies I just described, but we have seen increasing demand from traditional enterprise companies as well. Former clients including Airbus and World Bank come to us because they realized they can outsource a project to Gigster without hiring an entire internal team, and that we’re faster, cheaper and more efficient than competitors. We expect these early enterprise customers to convince other similar companies to use freelance labor as they become more technology-driven.”
