Wonolo, a startup that helps large companies find temporary contract workers, raised $32m to keep up with its growing business (on top of the $13m it raised just 7 months ago).
Wonolo’s app now has 300k workers on its platform, and its clients include Coca-Cola, Papa John’s, and Uniqlo, as large companies enter a new era of contract workforces.
Remember the gig old days?
Before US streets were filled with burrito-bearers, drunchie-deliverers, and ride-sharers, thousands of contractors already worked in the manufacturing, retail, and shipping industries. And, despite the continued need for these original gigsters, few apps have emerged to assist them.
Wonolo (whose name is a contraction of ‘Work-Now-Locally’) wants to change that: Its platform caters specifically to “industries left behind by Silicon Valley’s future of work technologies.”
A faster way to find workers
Wonolo screens workers via a background check and personality quiz, then lets them take jobs on the platform on a first come, first served basis (gigs average $14/hour).
Of course, Wonolo takes a cut: charging clients 45% of what it pays each employee. In the past year, Wonolo’s revenue doubled, and now Wonolo hopes to attract more Fortune 500 clients.
But startups like ShiftGig and WorkHands have launched similar platforms, and tech giants are also building contract solutions (Uber is testing “Uber Works” and both Google and Facebook are testing similar products).