Several online staffing platforms serving the industrial staffing sector recently announced funding rounds.
Shift One
Shift One, an on-demand platform for blue-collar logistics jobs led by a former Uber exec, closed a $5.2 million seed funding round.
“Shift One is a new model that efficiently connects workers with rich employment opportunities, while providing companies with ready-to-work teams without the traditional overhead,” founder and CEO Jason Radisson said.
Radisson formerly served as a general manager at Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE: UBER). He had joined Uber to launch its operations in Nevada.
Shift One also provides a suite of productivity solutions that cover time, taxes, attendance productivity and work order management. It operates in all 50 states.
The company formed in 2019 and presently employs more than 25,000 workers.
Clients include Amazon, Nascar, the Consumer Electronics Show and Weee.
The funding round was led by City Light Capital and JAM Fund.
“Shift One turns the labor problem of adverse selection on its head by identifying, assembling and upskilling top talent and putting it to work where it can have the biggest impact,” said JAM Fund principal and Tinder co-founder Justin Mateen. “Gig work has been defined by seasonality and availability — neither are particularly good for workers. I'm excited to watch how this new approach can bring workers along as we tackle last mile and on-demand labor needs.”
Jobsandtalent
Jobsandtalent, an online staffing platform based in Madrid, Spain, announced a €100 million (US$118.9 million) funding round March 10. Funding will go toward expansion, including to the US.
The company launched in 2009 and presently serves eight markets in Europe and Latin America, including Mexico and Colombia. It had a revenue run rate of €500 (US$614.1 million as of Dec. 31) million in 2020.
The investment was announced last week and came from the SoftBank Vision Fund 2. It comes after Jobsandtalent closed an €88 million (US$108.1 million as of Dec. 31) funding round in December.
“There are 500 million temporary workers around the world, and we saw an opportunity to use technology as a way of helping these workers find reliable, consistent jobs,” said Juan Urdiales, co-founder and co-CEO of Jobandtalent. “We want to help match these workers with the right roles at the right companies, and make sure they have the benefits and security of employment.”
Jobsandtalent also reported last week that it secured €83 million (US$98.6 million) in debt financing from BlackRock.
Jobsandtalent matches workers and companies in several sectors, including logistics, e-commerce, warehousing and manufacturing. So far, 80,000 workers have used the platform.
Jobsandtalent employs the workers directly and manages the back-end administrative process including payroll, timesheets and legal compliance.
Customers include XPO, Ceva Logisitcs, eBay, Ocado, Sainsbury’s Bayer and Santander.
“Jobandtalent is addressing a crucial challenge facing the modern workforce - how to balance flexibility with high quality, reliable job opportunities,” said Yanni Pipilis, managing partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers. “The company has developed a data-driven platform that has a track record of providing high fulfilment and low attrition staffing for businesses with temporary roles to fill, while securing income stability and benefits for workers.”
WorkStep
WorkStep, an online platform aimed at helping supply-chain employers find and retain workers, announced $18 million in funding. The money is a combination of $6.7 million in seed funding and $10.5 million in series A funding. It will go toward improving and expanding technology as well as growing the San Francisco-based company’s team.
“This past year, we saw increasing dependence on supply chain labor to fulfill our basic needs,” said Dan Johnston, co-founder and CEO of WorkStep. “But with record turnover leaving supply chains understaffed and the remaining workers stretched thin, WorkStep’s technology that improves new-hire fit and lifts post-hire satisfaction is crucial to retaining this critical worker segment.”
WorkStep was founded in 2017 and says it aims to provide alternatives to staffing firms. The company’s platform works to source and retain workers in the US supply chain. It also describes its product as an employee lifecycle management software platform. Customers include industrial, logistics, transportation and warehousing employers.
The funding round was led by FirstMark Capital with additional participation by Prologis Ventures.
Landed
Landed, a mobile app connecting hourly food and retail workers with local employers, launched its platform and announced a seed funding round of $1.4 million. The app includes video profiles of job seekers and says it uses artificial intelligence technology to match candidates to jobs, automating much of the hiring process. The company began operations this year.
“Helping candidates find the right jobs, and helping businesses hire a qualified, more diverse staff is our passion at Landed and by using AI and ML technology and leveraging video we can make the whole process much more efficient,” founder and CEO Vivian Wang said.
Landed’s customers include franchisees for Wendy’s, Chick-fil-A and Grocery Outlet. The company currently serves seven areas: Northern California; Southern California; Virginia Beach/Chesapeake, Virginia; Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona; Atlanta; Reno, Nevada; and Dallas-Fort Worth.
The funding round was led by Javelin Venture Partners with participation from Y Combinator, Palm Drive Capital and key angel investors. Landed is based in San Francisco.
Social Auto Transport
Social Auto Transport, a platform that connects clients with independent contractors to move cars, received $1.5 million in seed funding, Freightwaves reported. The Richmond, Virginia-based firm is used by car dealership networks and others to drive vehicles from one place to another using independent contractors.
