On-Demand Marketplace For Designers/Developers Launches

Another on-demand marketplace has gone live, this one offering a twist — a focus on high-quality designers and developers.

Launching out of beta yesterday (Nov. 19), LiquidTalent — founded by Google’s former public affairs manager, Alex Abelin, along with Scott Annan — operates on the premise, explains TechCrunch, that the developers and designers the Web- and mobile-based platform looks to connect with desire to work as freelancers, rather than full-time employees.

LiquidTalent — which touts itself as being able to save companies large sums of money that they would otherwise spend on recruiters — uses social platforms to connect companies with the right talent for their needs.

According to TechCrunch, LiquidTalent attests that although it can be used to fill full-time positions with W2 contracts, it is currently primarily focused on 1099 contracting. This leads the outlet to point out the fact that a number of high-profile on-demand service platforms that exist as part of the 1099 economy — such as Handy and Uber — are facing legal issues brought by independent contractors seeking W2 status.

As the report also notes, LiquidTalent’s focus on designers and developers — who don’t interact with a service’s end user — does appear to differentiate them from companies like Uber and Handy.

While LiquidTalent says, according to TechCrunch, that it plans to move to other verticals eventually, the company’s more immediate focus appears to be on activating its monetization strategy, which will take the form of a monthly membership fee rather than a case-by-case hiring fee.

The outlet also shares that LiquidTalent, which has begun working with brands including ESPN, IBM Watson, Trello and WeWork, has raised a total of $1 million to date.