On-demand talent network KIWI on Friday said it has raised USD 2,50,000 (nearly Rs 2 crore) in seed funding from PointOne Capital, Core91 VC, AppyHigh, and other angel investors. The company that helps connect freelancers and clients in the outsourcing landscape said the fund raised will be used for product development and for creating an initial base of consumers and experts. KIWI CEO and Co-founder Imran Ladiwala said the gig economy is growing at a massive pace and COVID-19 has propelled that growth. More and more freelancers are moving to freelance platforms.
“The challenge freelancers face is sending proposals and participating in bidding wars to win clients while clients are bombarded with unclear sales pitches and ambiguous quotes. “With KIWI, clients hire a freelancer who is an expert in solving their exact issue, instantaneously,” he said, adding the start-up assists people in getting their issues resolved in real-time while freelancers get their money within 60 minutes.
PointOne Capital Managing Partner Mihir Jha said KIWI’s talent-as-a-service platform which provides “the easiest way for anyone to get micro and nano issues resolved instantly, online, and in real-time serves a largely untapped global need”. KIWI said it has so far has over 5,000 sign-ups from experts and completed more than 12,000 jobs across the world.
