Sramana Mitra: What is your business model? Do you charge a percentage? Matt Barrie: We take a commission from the employer. We take 3% of the payments made or $3, whichever is higher. From the worker, we take 10% or $5, whichever is higher. But we do have a membership subscription package where if you
Sramana Mitra: How many freelancers are in the system? Matt Barrie: We have more freelancers on our site than any other marketplace in the world. The mix is about, three quarters freelancers and one quarter who are our employers. SM: What can you tell me about the employers? What kind of employers from what countries,
Websites for freelancers abound on the Internet. From oDesk to Elance to Guru, there’s something for everybody, it seems. And each has its own way of doing business. With the Sydney, Australia–based Freelancer.com, for example, an employer pays a contractor only when he’s satisfied with the work the contractor has done. That could explain why
Sramana: Are contractors starting to hire other people and build their own agencies? Gary Swart: That is the real entrepreneur empowerment we have. One of our favorite contractors started on oDesk for $6 an hour three years ago. Today he bills at $33 dollars an hour. He has worked 3,000 hours this year with a perfect
Sramana: After you had raised your initial rounds with Sigma, how much money had you raised? Gary Swart: We raised additional funds with Benchmark. We took $6 million in our A round, $8 million in a B round, and $15 million in our C round. We have raised $29 million total. We have essentially not
Sramana: Transcription is not necessarily easy, especially if you are doing highly technical transcription. Transcription is just an example. Translation is another area where there is a ton of work. Gary Swart: There is a lot of work in translation. We have large customers coming to us asking for translation. They do not want PhD
“Anybody can go offshore and find somebody for four bucks an hour. But to find somebody who understands your culture and speaks your language, and knows where you’re coming from, that’s one step up,” says Josh Last, CEO and founder of GlobeTask, of his company’s approach. How important is the cultural factor? Tony Scott’s interviews
Sramana: I think in many cases companies would hire contractors through Elance but would not use Elance to pay them. Gary Swart: Absolutely, and I think Elance has recognized that. They realize they were only getting the tip of the iceberg. I think you will see they begin moving more toward the middle and move