shiftgig
glassdoor has 177 shiftgig reviews submitted anonymously by shiftgig employees. read employee reviews and ratings on glassdoor to decide if shiftgig is right for you .
© 2011 - 2018 shiftgig, inc. all rights reserved. shiftgig and the shiftgig logo are the registered trademarks of shiftgig, inc. bullpen, shiftgigx, work now, and the shiftgig logo are the trademarks of shiftgig, inc. shiftgig, inc. , the bullpen, inc. and shiftgigx, llc are equal opportunity employers .
meet amanda, shiftgig server and full - time mom. learn how shiftgig works with her busy schedule :
shiftgig' s latest funding round in january 2017 was reported to be $ 20 m. in total, shiftgig has raised $ 56 m
shiftgig is the smartest and easiest way for hourly workers and businesses to connect .
i applied online. i interviewed at shiftgig (new york, ny) .
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i haven’t used my app in a while. can i still work for shiftgig ?
shiftgig raises $ 10m entirely from chicago investors to build a linkedin for ...
ask a question about working or interviewing at shiftgig. our community is ready to answer .
shiftgig, the linkedin style startup, has raised $ 3 million in funding. (handout )
i applied online. i interviewed at shiftgig (new york, ny (us) ) .
big month for big hires: groupon, shiftgig and others welcome new execs in ...
what it does: shiftgig finds contract workers to fill job postings from restaurants, hotels and retail industry .
user experience designer shiftgig job locations ar - b category design type. . more information about this job :
als / ct - on - demand - app - shiftgig - growth - bsi - 20160307 - story. html
shiftgig is an online professional network for the service industry, connecting service industry people with each other and to businesses .
launched in chicago in january 2012, shiftgig has since expanded nationwide. [ 9 ] in october 2012, shiftgig raised $ 3 million in its series a round of funding. [ 10 ] in november 2014, shiftgig raised $ 10 million from garland funds (of huron consulting group), among other chicago - based investors. [ 11 ] in march 2015, shiftgig expanded to dallas, texas, [ 12 ] with shots of expanding to 3 to 5 more cities dans le year. [ 11 ]
our
beyond the job
blog series gives you insight into what it' s like to work at shiftgig. learn about different positions at the company, our culture, and more! today we' re featuring mike schaefer, sales director here at shiftgig .
shiftgig uses technology to connect businesses like yours with thousands of pre - qualified, ready - to - work professionals who we call specialists .
tell us who you really liked and who you would prefer not to see again. shiftgig tailors your team over time based on your feedback .
we’re looking for the right people to join shiftgig’s team in our downtown chicago headquarters. we want people who are energized by our mission and product - - people with the right skills and the drive to make shiftgig the best - in - class technology provider in the human capital management ecosystem .
probably because the margins on recruiting individual service workers are lower, shiftgig doesn’t charge businesses to post positions on its site. shiftgig charges for an on demand hiring feature, and said on its website it has plans in the future to charge for premium features like sponsored job listings and background checks .
nal? �? (it is not always what you get with
other agency
when you are at these high volume events). shiftgig management
the shiftgig app is a powerful tool designed with simplicity in mind. behind the scenes, we use predictive intelligence to deliver quality results and dependable fill rates .
shiftgig has 8k number of facebook likes. the number of likes has grown 3. 2% month over month and grown 7. 9% quarter over quarter
shiftgig has been wonderful in supporting my career growth. i work with great leaders who invest their time in teaching me new skills and placing me into job functions that align with my strengths. during my time at shiftgig, i’ve worked in many different departments and each time i feel supported in my knowledge and growth within the company .
ing the events and the shiftgig staff, danielle, michael, zhelka and the others were awesome > > thanks. i hope to do more in the next year !
jose, one of our shiftgig specialists, enjoys being a brand ambassador because it allows him to create experiences that impact people. learn more about jose in this article .
^ jump up to: a b harris, melissa (31 october 2012). “shiftgig raises $ 3 million in funding”. chicago tribune. retrieved 14 november 2012 .
shiftgig has 4. 8k number of twitter followers. the number of followers has decrease 0. 2% month over month and grown 0. 6% quarter over quarter
“i needed extra money, but had to work outside the hours at my primary job. shiftgig helped a great deal by letting me pick the days and shifts that worked for me. plus you' re paid every week! if you need extra cash and have a good amount of skills, shiftgig' s the way to go! ”
at shiftgig, we value the importance of giving back. through our corporate social responsibility program, full - time employees receive two paid days a year to volunteer with the charity of their choice. additionally, each quarter, shiftgig employees nominate an organization to support through donated time. it’s our way of taking small steps toward a greater good .
our over 2, 700 clients range from start - ups to enterprise operations. they rely on shiftgig to easily fill and manage both long - term and temporary labor needs .
n to shiftgig. they didn' t give me a chance to defend, actually they suspended me. so be aware, if something happens you will be the only responsibl
thank you for sharing your experience with shiftgig. we are committed to creating a collaborative, innovative and welcoming environment so it’s disappointing to know we’ve dropped the ball here. your
thank you for sharing your experience with shiftgig. it’s our goal to create a collaborative, innovative and welcoming environment. your feedback has been shared with our leadership team. we are
on november 24, 2015, shiftgig inc. announced its $ 22 million in series b venture funding, led by renren inc. to expand its mobile marketplace. [ 13 ]
^ jump up to: a b pletz, john. “shiftgig’s talent pool provides a ready bullpen for events”. crain communications inc. crain’s business chicago. retrieved 9 april 2015 .
jump up ^ kolodny, lora (2015 - 11 - 24). “shiftgig raises $ 22 million to match hourly workers to local jobs”. retrieved 2015 - 11 - 24 .
# icymi @ trustedherd has ranked shiftgig the # 2 event staffing agency in the u. s. based on 6400 + anonymous worker reviews. # staffing # gigeconomy # experientialmarketing urltoken
shiftgig is a great way to enrichen your work experience in different job trainings. i' m a dishwasher, server, banquette setup and barista. i love these great jobs .
shiftgig enables people to distinguish themselves with profiles that include past work history and education but also reflect their personalities, photos, evidence of their social influence and recommendations from colleagues and former managers. this approach makes it easy for businesses to screen to find the perfect hire quickly and efficiently. shiftgig also provides the latest information on industry news, events and local promotions .
why it' s cool: shiftgig makes it easier for applicants to find service industry jobs—from sommeliers and pastry chefs to general managers—and for chicago - based companies to find the right employees .
s where i could quickly learn almost any basic or normal job that dosent require an depth knowledge or technical training (aka most gigs ?). so what' s up shiftgig ?
thanks for sharing your great feedback! we love hearing from specialists like you when they have a great experience using shiftgig. your feedback has been shared with our internal team so we can
there has been some scrutiny around how thorough background and credit checks are sometimes for workers in the on - demand economy. in the case of shiftgig, the company goes through its own set of qualification and vetting checks, which also change over time as businesses rate employees (termed “specialists” in shiftgig’s marketplace) after each shift worked that ultimately result in reliability scores for workers .
feedback has been shared with our leadership team. please be assured that we want shiftgig to be a workplace where employees’ voices are heard and we’re working toward a more transparent, communicative culture .
shiftgig is committed to the communities we serve through ongoing partnerships with charitable and civic organizations. twice per year, employees are given a full day off to volunteer at a charity of their choice .
the company was listed among business insiders magazine’s “25 coolest new businesses in chicago”. [ 3 ] shiftgig was also included in cio ‘ s “10 hot social media startups to watch”. [ 4 ]
shiftgig, an online job finding network for service workers, has just raised a $ 10 million round of investment. shiftgig has over 1 million registered members and 25, 000 businesses using its site. this latest round of funding comes entirely from chicago - based investors, led by the garland funds with participation from kgc capital, chicago ventures, drw ventures, firestarter fund, and corazon capital .
before earning revenue from those possible premium services, shiftgig will be using its latest round of capital to expand its sales and operations teams, reinvesting in improving its job board and expand to new cities .
the idea is that businesses connect on to the shiftgig platform to fill any number of shifts. the marketplace accommodates both small businesses needing to fill one or a few shifts, as well as large events looking for 200 people. in all cases, businesses pay for every shift worked, and shiftgig takes a percentage fee, which varies depending on the size of the order and size of the client .
shiftgig connects businesses with the on - demand workforce through our industry - leading mobile platform. our technology provides financial opportunity for hourly workers seeking flexibility and choice, while delivering powerful business agility to companies .
^ jump up to: a b loizos, connie (november 6, 2012). “with a fresh $ 3 million, shiftgig builds a blue collar jobs network”. pehub. retrieved 14 november 2012 .
shiftgig was once a place that had a group of people excited about the gig economy, people passionate about making a difference in specialist lives and in general shaking up the staffing world. now - shiftgig (what is left of it) is filled with unmotivated individuals, who have no idea what they are doing. the people left are clearly taking a note from the ceo and acting like they’re doing something but, in reality, they are just waiting till the clock hits four (yes, 4 pm) to leave. wade has taken a great thing, and single handily ran it into the ground. there are a few good people left, but pretty soon with wade' s leadership, shiftgig will be no more. there’s little hope that someone will take action and step up to do what’s best for shiftgig .
on top of those checks, shiftgig also handles weekly payments to specialists as well as their benefits: lou said that the company is compliant with the affordable care act and insured with the appropriate worker’s compensation policies .
^ jump up to: a b reim, garrett. “shiftgig raises $ 10m entirely from chicago investors to build a linkedin for service jobs”. built in chicago. built in chicago. retrieved 9 april 2015 .
at shiftgig we care about our employees well - being. get moving with one of our quality health and wellness campaigns. check out a yoga session, or learn to make a healthy snack with a certified dietician .
our hard - working team is one of our greatest strengths. based on your feedback, it’s apparent we need to take a closer look at how our leadership team can be more transparent. we want shiftgig to be
shiftgig — a startup that has built a mobile platform for hourly workers to pick up shifts at local businesses looking for staff to fill gaps in their schedules (shiftgig = shift work + gig economy) — is today announcing that it has raised $ 20 million to scale up its marketplace. this round, a series c, includes a mix of new and existing backers — drw venture capital, fj labs, ggv capital, kdwc ventures, and an affiliate of william blair — and brings the total raised by shiftgig to $ 56 million. the company is not disclosing its valuation but sources tell us it’s around $ 150 million post - money .
^ jump up to: a b pletz, john (november 14, 2014). “shiftgig raises $ 10 million from holdren, kiphart”. crain communication, inc. crain’s chicago business. retrieved 10 april 2015 .
here' s a look at some of our product and engineering team members at # aws community day in chicago! if you' re at the event, be sure to say hi to the shiftgig team. urltoken
shiftgig, a local technology company building a linkedin - style online community for service workers, has raised $ 3 million in its series a funding round from investors, including i2a fund, firestarter fund and red barn investments .
“i’ve had the opportunity to expand my skills, meet and work with new companies, and because of the variety of jobs that shiftgig offers, i feel more ambitious, confident and eager to continue to do my best. ”
i read all the bad reviews and i am surprised that you guys are going through this. i have mad alot of money through shiftgig and have never had a payment issue. the only issue i have is not seeing sh
shiftgig is actively seeking an user experience designer who has excellent analytical skills and limitless creativity. the ux designer will work with the creative director, designers, product managers, and engineering to help plan and execute strategic directions for projects. this position reports directly to the creative director (who reports to the vp of product). the successful candidate will work on all shiftgig? s current projects initiatives and future visioning, innovation ux ideation and user experience design .
best for anyone looking to make their own schedule with a busy life as i do. you many customer service options to work in due to many companys doing collaborations with shiftgig. make great connections to even get a permanent job .
the vibe at shiftgig is energetic, fun and welcoming. with every employee working towards the same goal, it creates a high level of energy and motivation. i leave the office every day feeling like i' ve accomplished something great .
at shiftgig, there are many opportunities for employees to step up, take on more responsibility and show off their talents. because of this, i’ve had the opportunity to grow professionally and gain new skills in a short amount of time .
enabled by technology to a technology serving the staffing space. you’re also right that customers (and specialists) are everything. the recent changes to our team, product and strategy are meant to reflect shiftgig’s focus on customer and specialist growth. it’s clear you’re passionate about shiftgig and we thank you for giving us candid, thoughtful feedback. we’re sorry we disappointed you and your review has been shared with our leadership team. we wish you luck in whatever you choose to do next .
i have loved shiftgig since i started i’ve done an amazing job have allstars i have employers asking to hire me full time. well i took a job for them out here in tampa on 2 / 23. i went to work and the
worked my first shiftgig event at cisco live in orlando. wasn' t sure what i was getting into, but after the initial training day (i am sure they didn' t know what they were getting in me !) loved work
collaboration between departments at shiftgig is huge. in my role, there are always problems to be solved and i often need help from other departments. from payroll to product to sales, i' ve never encountered resistance when asking for help .
at shiftgig, there are many opportunities for employees to step up, take on more responsibility and show off their talents. because of this, i’ve had the opportunity to grow professionally and gain new skills in a short amount of time .
the vibe at shiftgig is energetic, fun and welcoming. with every employee working towards the same goal, it creates a high level of energy and motivation. i leave the office every day feeling like i' ve accomplished something great .
for now, this puts shiftgig well ahead of two notable competitors in terms of funds raised for growth. others in the same space include workpop and wonolo, both of which have raised under $ 10 million to date (see here and here) .
when you add in the hourly workers not part of the service industry that number grows even larger. unsurprisingly, shiftgig has competition. workpop, a los angeles - based startup raised $ 7 million in september to build a job - listing site for hourly workers .
the team here at shiftgig thrives on taking ownership of our roles to solve real - world problems. we' re compassionate in our work and motivated to
do whatever it takes
to meet the needs of our workers, our clients, and our teammates .
shiftgig is the smartest and easiest way for the hourly workforce and businesses to connect. they' re a mobile marketplace that fully vets and background checks workers, which they call specialists, who can then pick up shifts on their mobile app and work when, where, and for whom they want. their clients love their platform because they can manage their temporary labor directly from the shiftgig business app. they' re currently working with the biggest brands in the food service, hospitality, retail, warehouse and experiential marketing industries .
the team here at shiftgig thrives on taking ownership of our roles to solve real - world problems. we' re compassionate in our work and motivated to
do whatever it takes
to meet the needs of our workers, our clients, and our teammates .
shiftgig’s raise comes about a year after renren, the “facebook of china”, led shiftgig’s last round of $ 22 million. since then, the company has been seeing “solid growth”, in the words of eddie lou, the ceo and co - founder. today, there are some 1, 500 businesses and 15, 000 workers using the platform, which has customers across all 50 states but with a concentration in about 12 cities. (the plan will “certainly” be to use some of the funding to scale that out even more, lou said. )
“i' ve really loved working for shiftgig - it' s actually changed my life. i live in houston and my children live in the san francisco bay area, so it has allowed me to maintain my freedom from a 9 to 5 and still make a living. ”
shiftgig has competitive start - up salaries. we offer comprehensive health benefits, and cover 90% of dental and 100% of vision coverage. all full - time employees enjoy unlimited pto, and our office boasts gym access, stocked snacks and drinks, and a coffee bar !
shiftgig is the smartest and easiest way for the hourly workforce and businesses to connect. we' re a mobile marketplace that fully vets and background checks workers, which we call specialists, who can then pick up shifts on our mobile app and work when, where ...
shiftgig is the smartest and easiest way for the hourly workforce and businesses to connect. we? re an on - demand, mobile marketplace working with the biggest brands in the food service, hospitality, retail and warehouse industries. our workers, which we call specialists, use our mobile app to claim shifts and choose when, where and for who they want to work. our clients streamline their business by managing their temporary labor directly from the shiftgig app. in addition, we pre - qualify all of our specialists, including a background check and skills assessment .
my account due to me not making a shift or calling in, due to my finances at the time. perhaps if shiftgig s pay people on time as much as they want people to be on time than it’ll be a better company. great concept but wrong people running it .
would not recommend. not enough work options - what you do have gets claimed quick. bulk of my negative rating comes from my experience with their help desk. if you get a timely response, they will not really answer your question or if they do, speak of what they will do to help. i found the idea of shiftgig - you getting to pick from a host of gigs with you in control, does not match up with the reality. there was nothing easy, fun or smart about shiftgig. it was a waste of time setting it up .
i' ve been with shiftgig a couple of weeks, it' s ok to me... only i don' t care for (like working for uber or lyft) you have to email any concerns to them and what for someone to get back... . pa
“shiftgig is the largest and best temporary staffing startup in the world, ” said fabrice grinda, co - founder of fj labs, in an email to us. “it’s clearly going in the direction of history as more work is being ‘gigified’ as employers and employees both seek greater flexibility. ”
shiftgig was conceived by entrepreneurs eddie lou, jeff pieta and sean casey, seeking to build a community for a user segment by existing professional networks. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] in the past, craigslist or directly inquiring business by business. [ 5 ] shiftgig seeks to consolidate the posting and search for jobs in this segment, offering immediate results. [ 7 ] in this fashion, the company falls dans le definition of an on - demand mobile service, defined as “qui aggregate consumer demand apps on mobile devices, purpose that fulfill demand through offline services. ” [ 8 ]
in contrast to linkedin’s professional focus, shiftgig concentrates entirely on the service industries. jobs listed on the site vary from full - time to part - time to temporary. restaurant jobs, like line cook, waitress and dishwasher, are common, but the site also lists hospitality and retail jobs .
“the shiftgig team continues to execute against its plan by winning enterprise clients that utilize its technology to connect with hourly labor, ” said jeff richards, managing partner, ggv capital, in a statement. “the company is scaling across multiple verticals and proving that one platform can be winner take all. ”
today, shiftgig works with a wide range of business clients mainly in the food service, hotel, retail, logistics, warehouse, and experiential marketing spaces, lou said. interestingly, it’s also been approached by uber to use the platform but currently does not provide drivers among its staff, lou said .
founded on the simple premise that many people want flexible work opportunities that fit into the rest of their lives, shiftgig builds technology that is focused on one thing: connecting people who want hourly work with companies who need them. we know everyone benefits when people are empowered to better balance their work with their life .
a 17 - year veteran of the hr industry, lori oversees all marketing functions for shiftgig including digital and recruitment marketing, public relations, content development and social media. bringing 15 years of combined sales and digital marketing leadership from careerbuilder, lori is passionate about helping people find the right opportunities to better their lives .
one of my best work experiences. if you can work for shiftgig, do. it' s not ideal for full - time work because they don' t have enough gigs for steady work, but the pay is high for the field, the management is great, and the hours are up to you .
need an extra bartender for your event tonight? the site also has an on demand temporary job hiring feature, called worknow. for a fee businesses can hire service workers for temporary gigs from shiftgig’s network. worknow is also a mobile app that notifies prospective temporary workers of possible gigs and can function as a time card .
as ceo, wade directs shiftgig as one of the leading mobile platforms in the gig economy. in his former role as the vp of talent solutions at linkedin, he managed thousands of employees globally and billions in revenue. his leadership and expertise allows him to impact a new set of the workforce, the gig economy .
as cto, rick leads shiftgig’s technology strategy, operations, and platform management. for more than a decade, bowman has built a distinguished career with leadership roles at deloitte consulting, hellowallet, and morningstar, where he served as chief software officer leading software engineering practices for more than 1, 200 technologists across the globe .
michael leads shiftgig in product strategy and development. with a background in building and managing award - winning, user - focused products, he has worked at hellowallet, and npr, and served as a start - up advisor and mentor. he holds a bachelor' s and jd from the university of texas at austin .
as vp of finance, jack brings 16 + years of operational experience to shiftgig. previously, jack worked as cfo of channel clarity, and has also held financial services positions at lasalle bank, and william blair & company. he received his bachelor' s from boston college and mba from the kellogg school of management .
a place where hard - working people like you know their contributions matter not only to our specialists and customers, but to leadership as well. it’s clear you’re passionate about shiftgig and we thank you for giving us candid, thoughtful feedback. we’re sorry we disappointed you and your review has been shared with our leadership team .
collaboration between departments at shiftgig is huge. as a client success manager, there are always problems to be solved and i often need the help of many different departments to do so. from payroll to product to sales, i’ve never encountered resistance when asking for help which makes getting my job done that much easier .
each quarter, product and engineering steps away from our traditional sprint cycle and participates in a special innovation sprint. we embrace exploring new ideas that could impact the future of shiftgig. we hold a pitch session, form teams, and a week later, demo our results. oftentimes, our prototypes and learnings inform our roadmap .
more than 100, 000 people and more than 4, 000 businesses have created accounts on the site launched in january. shiftgig is already operating in the chicago, los angeles and new york markets and recently expanded to houston, washington, d. c. , miami, philadelphia and minneapolis, co - founder eddie lou said .
jose, of phoenix, az, isn' t your ordinary brand ambassador and shiftgig specialist, in fact, he happens to be one of the 2017 brand ambassadors of the year. jose has been a brand ambassador for about six years and first heard about the role from a friend who owned a flower business, and managed small events on the side .
i am a new employee with shiftgig in orlando, and what an experience this has been. i worked registration for ciscolive 2018! !! the ppl who i have worked with as well as supervisors i worked with because that is what they have done with my group, not lord over but worked with us to provide the client a professional and efficient convention .
vikki leads shiftgig’s talent acquisition, culture, benefits, employee relations and compensation as vp of hr. after 10 + years at randstad providing hr consultation to business leaders and teams across the midwest, vikki has spent the last 7 years helping build world - class hr teams within chicago startups. she holds a bachelor' s degree from university of st. francis and a bachelors in education from depaul university .
with over 12 years of sales leadership and more than a decade in human capital management experience, chuck has excelled as a sales strategist demonstrating his ability to create and lead teams who consistently outperform the market. joining shiftgig to oversee all sales functions, he holds a master’s degree from the johns hopkins university, mba from northwestern university' s kellogg school of management, and an undergraduate degree from michigan state university .
shiftgig sends work to you according to rank. so if any other employees work more than you do they will send them the shifts that have better pay, hours and locations. which i feel is unfair but i could only do part time hours during the school years because i have children and i teach during the school year. i' m not sent the best shifts; the shifts are either too far for little pay or in the city with the decent pay but with less hours. if you get a shift with decent pay, decent hours and good location the client is extremely rude and unprofessional. i would feel as if i was working in plantation owners kitchen. short breaks and very little time for bathroom breaks as well. i have complained and sent emails to shiftgig about the treatment received from some of clients but it hasn' t made much difference .
very poor communication, no direction, & uncertainty constantly looms leaving everyone in a state of anxiety and extreme discomfort. after a poorly executed
reorganization
of the company, we' re seemingly worse off, doing far less revenue, way worse customer net promoter scores, zero customer service at a local level and have zero tools to compete with our main competitors: staffing companies. oh right, but shiftgig isn' t a staffing company !
shiftgig went from a mediocre staffing agency with a pretty subpar product. now we' re just a mediocre technology company that performs subpar in the staffing world. this identity crisis has crippled almost everything. leadership needs to take responsibility, admit it' s faults, and probably change a few people at the top. sales leadership is a complete failure, and the constant little re - shuffles and re - configuring constantly lead to more lost clients and the aforementioned nosedive in revenue. someone needs to address these failures and come up with an actual plan to fix them, or else everyone will keep leaving .
there is a lot of infrastructure in place today, but it wasn’t always this way. lou tells me that shiftgig got its start in 2012 as a web - only social network co - founded by lou along with jeff pieta (who is now chief growth officer) and sean casey (who is now chief data officer), connecting small businesses in the service industry with people seeking full - time and part - time jobs. “we were free to use, ” he said, which helped the platform scale “exponentially. ” (free has a habit of doing that .) at its peak, it connected 1. 4 million job seekers with over 30, 000 small businesses .
couple good supervisors. however, most are not experienced. they do not have people skills. they walk by you and look the other way. how ironic. you must drop shifts to see other shifts that are available. however, when you drop a shift, it will be held against you. again, the low - level supervisors really do not know how to handle situations and people. two tables full of people and no one knows who they are. one employee was able to scam the company with overtime because on on was paying attention. other people could not get enough hours. this is reported to supervisors but they really do not care. poor cisco, paid 1 / 4 million dollars for staff. shiftgig could have hired adults instead of kids .
last fall, i’ve spent time researching mobile on - demand services that we are able to access with a push of a button. “on - demand mobile services” (odms) is a broad category so i believe it’s important to start with a definition. my friend
defines odms as “apps which aggregate consumer demand on mobile devices, but fulfill that demand through offline services. ” i’ll take it one step further :
odms deliver a “closed loop” experience by collapsing the value chain including discovery, order, payment, fulfillment (offline but within owned network) and confirmation. in the pre - mobile era we had to search yellow pages (or google), find a provider, call or email that provider, wait to connect with someone, schedule a convenient time, hope the provider arrives on time, and then pay with a credit card or cash. thankfully, a new array of mobile services removes all of that friction we were used to experiencing. welcome to the uberification of our service economy :
the “uberification” of our economy signals a fundamental shift in the way that local services are discovered and fulfilled. in my research i’ve mapped more than 70 startups redefining the segments listed above. since 2009, venture capitalists have poured more than $ 1. 75b into these companies (excluding groupon, seamless and opentable) and i expect this will continue to grow. this funding figure is conservative since crunchbase, mattermark, and cb insights don’t have complete funding information for each company. additionally, i excluded more than 30 “online to offline services” that haven’t launched a mobile app but likely will in the next twelve to eighteen months. some of these services include makespace, paintizen, boxbee, moveloot, homejoy, manicube, and blue apron. finally, i decided to exclude apps where demand is fulfilled digitally such as doctor on demand .
despite being three to four years into the odms trend, i’m super bullish on the road that lies ahead and i believe there are still plenty of untapped opportunities. for example, apps are emerging in categories like elderly care, medicine, real estate, and security. additionally, there are a variety of b2b services emerging such as office cleaning, supply replenishment, tech support, and fleet management. finally, a sub - trend i’m observing is startups that create “infrastructure” to power a variety of odms. one company that comes to mind is yc - backed rickshaw which solves delivery and logistics for a number of the services in the above market map .
there are common challenges when building an odms such as offline logistical complexity, low barriers to entry, customer acquisition at scale, and aggregation of regional / local supply (see exec and cherry for case studies). but the entrepreneurs and companies that overcome these challenges await numerous multi - billion dollar market opportunities. the u. s. economy is largely driven by the service sector so it’s only a matter of time until all of our services are accessible via our mobile devices. the implications are huge for large companies like google and craigslist as well as thousands of regional and local service providers. hundreds of billions of dollars of enterprise value are up for grabs. at rre, we have been spending a lot of time thinking about odms and would to hear how you think the space will evolve over the next 12 to 24 months .
the company also announced that ken pelletier, the former chief technology officer of groupon, has signed on as an investor and technical adviser to the start - up .
the reason i started the company is because i saw a statistic: among 18 - to 22 - year - olds, 98 percent are on facebook but only 13 percent are on linkedin ,
said lou, who is a former general partner at chicago venture capital firm oca ventures .
so why is that? it' s because they have jobs. they don' t have careers. if you have a career, you' re on linkedin. if you don' t, you' re not there .
stuart larkins, managing director of the i2a fund, said there isn' t a lot of number - crunching done while reviewing this early of an investment. instead, the strength of lou' s team, which includes co - founders jeff pieta and sean casey, is what persuaded him to invest .
i would also say their track record for the first year is proof of concept ,
larkins said .
a hundred thousand people signing up is not an insignifcant amount of individuals .
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with its burgeoning restaurant scene and its vibrant startup culture, chicago is one of the best places in the country to start a business .
we spoke to friends and colleagues and polled readers to bring you the coolest and most innovative new businesses in the windy city .
the winners, listed in alphabetical order, have all opened since (or just before) fall 2011 and include a donut shop run by an alum of one of chicago' s best restaurants, a personal shopping service, an argentinian empanada shop and a startup that' s changing how the service industry hires .
thanks to our readers who took the time to send us nominations. abby rogers and rob wile contributed to the list .
why it' s cool: au cheval' s not your typical diner, with dishes like a fried homemade bologna sandwich, duck heart hash and a pork porterhouse. they also have an excellent burger .
what it is: the one - year - old company buys and sells recycled interiors, furnishings, and art. their specialty, however, is pillows—hand - painted and custom - made .
why it' s cool: the founders of bethie b. are meg goldberg and beth barron, a mother and daughter
pillow - creating design team
with an eye for the unique, creative and custom made .
what it is: a personal shopping service founded in november 2011 that strives to give women more free time .
why it' s cool: the cakestylists work with clients' different budgets, work dress codes, and preferred designers. you can also buy cakestyle as a gift for friends and family .
what it is: a custom sales software company that helps chicago - based online businesses build their online stores by making it easier for their customers to personalize, visualize, buy and share products in different colors, styles, and designs .
why it' s cool: citizen made gives its primarily local and small business clients the option for their customers to share their purchases through social media in order to increase brand awareness .
why it' s cool: one of the chefs is an alum of l2o, one of chicago' s most renowned fine dining restaurants. the donuts, ranging from classics like boston creme pie to more arcane flavors like banofee pie and candied maple bacon, are so popular that the owners are reportedly contemplating a second location .
daily specials like s' more donuts and rum glazed pineapple fritters make each visit a bit different. there are vegan and gluten - free options available every day .
what it is: a micro - restaurant named one of the best in chicago .
why it' s cool: el has only one seating a night at a communal table. dining here is an interactive experience, with each of the dishes explained by the chef and his small staff. if the idea of eating with 16 or so strangers makes you nervous, the food might convince you otherwise .
recent inventive dishes include
cherries
( pictured; which are made from sea grapes, katsuobushi and umeboshi) and
french fries and ice cream
( potato with leeks and vanilla) .
why it' s cool: rather than a lonely deer hunter machine at the back of bar, emporium has a huge variety of classic arcade games from the simpsons to galaga, as well as a variety of pinball machines. there are more than 20 craft beers on tap .
the games are next to convenient shelves to hold your drink during particularly competitive gaming sessions .
what it is: argentinian - style empanadas on the go and in a new storefront .
why it' s cool: after several years running a successful food truck, 5411 empanadas recently opened its first storefront. named for the dialing code for buenos aires, they offer classic argentinian - style empanadas .
what it is: a florist company founded in march 2012 that donates a backpack full of school supplies to a student in need for every bouquet purchased .
why it' s cool: the company' s flowers are sourced organically, grown sustainably, and delivered locally in and around boston and chicago. after their first six months of operating, flowers for dreams had donated 1, 750 backpacks in chicago, and 525 in boston after the first three months, according to an email from one of the co - founders .
why it' s cool: anyone who' s had a bad experience with craigslist can see where the idea came from .
furnishly makes the process of finding and buying great furniture from individuals and a variety of partner stores easier and more reliable .
why it' s cool: named the year' s best new restaurant by chicago magazine, goosefoot is named for the genus of plants that include beets and swiss chard. the food often looks more like art than something to eat .
the dishes are described simply with the ingredients that make them up, like the
angus beef / cauliflower / goosefoot / trumpet royale / shallot jus
that appeared on a recent menu .
what it is: a new men' s boutique in chicago' s gold coast neighborhood .
why it' s cool: everything sold at the store is made in the usa .
some of the brands include engineered garments, post overalls, gitman vintage and featured footware from local company oak street bootmakers .
what it is: a company that makes handmade, vintage - style accessories—tie clips, cuff links, etc. —mainly for men, but also vintage and steam punk - style jewelry for women .
why it' s cool: sarah sebastian, founder of jojo & sofia, named the business after her two grandmothers. aww! !
what it is: madame zuzu' s is a 1930s - style chinese tea house which opened in mid - september 2012 .
why it' s cool: zuzu' s was started by billy corgan, frontman of the smashing pumpkins. patrons who visited the tea house for its grand opening on september 13th were able to meet corgan and hear him play some acoustic sets .
why it' s cool: mentormob allows users to create online
learning playlists
for a variety of subjects and skills you can learn like new languages, instruments, or school subjects. anyone who browses mentormob looking to learn something new will be able to see the best demos and how - tos on the internet, and
bypass all the junk .
why it' s cool: already a hit in silicon valley, proper suit takes the hassle and pretentiousness out of great custom - made suits .
once you' ve been measured by one of the company' s tailors, all you need to do is send a photo or explanation of what you' re looking for and the team will get to work .
what it is: rentalutions is an online property management platform that helps landlords manage their properties. it was founded in chicago in april 2012 .
why it' s cool: the founders created rentalutions to bring more landlords into the digital age. landlords can manage their property rentals online and run background and credit checks on tenants with this program .
what it is: an online hiring and job search engine for the service industry in chicago .
it' s almost like a social network or dating site for the industry, giving applicants a
fit score
for different opportunities and offering more
gigs
as they make their profile more complete .
why it' s cool: slurping turtle offers delicious, comforting dishes like noodles and grilled meats. the owner, takashi yagihashi, won
fan favorite
on bravo' s top chef masters .
what it is: an app that allows people to find and reserve parking spots in chicago .
why it' s cool: parking in chicago can be, well, difficult. spothero allows users to view rates, get deals and reserve spots wherever they might be headed in chicago. users can just flash their phone at a partner garage and park .
the app also takes some of the agita out of parking at giant events .
what it is: a new, popular spanish / latin small plates restaurant that' s made for sharing .
why it' s cool: tavernita offers really great deals to its customers, including $ 1 shucked oysters on wednesdays from 5 to 7pm, and special educational nights for wine and spanish food .
why it' s cool: the recently opened spot has more than fifty classic and original cocktails and a kitchen run by a charlie trotter' s alum that' s open until four in the morning .
dishes include pig face poutine and a popcorn and cotton candy of the day. house cocktails like
taking care of fizzness
are listed with their inventor on the menu .
what it is: a' 60s inspired retro cocktail bar in chicago' s lincoln park neighborhood .
why it' s cool: classic drinks, bowls of punch ,
swanky decor ,
and great snacks make this recently opened bar a favorite for people frequenting the nearby webster place movie theater .
the bar also hosts fun' 60s - inspired events like card night, complete with retro - styled decks .
what it is: like the north side neighborhood its located in, the hotel lincoln is
historic yet fresh, fun though eccentric, active but relaxed .
why it' s cool: the hotel lincoln is close to the lincoln park zoo, green city market and second city, the comedy club that produced actors like john belushi, tina fey and steve carrell.
shiftgig connects hourly workers and businesses through a mobile application . aiming to streamline and modernize the traditional staffing industry , it develops an employment-related mobile application , where employees can claim jobs in real-time . shiftgig 's product and business model have been compared with that of both linkedin and uber . the company was listed among business insider magazine 's " 25 coolest new businesses in chicago " . shiftgig was also included in cio 's " 10 hot social media startups to watch " . 
shiftgig connects hourly workers and businesses through a mobile application. aiming to streamline and modernize the traditional staffing industry, it develops an employment-related mobile application, where employees can claim jobs in real-time. shiftgig's product and business model have been compared with that of both linkedin and uber. the company was listed among business insider magazine's " 25 coolest new businesses in chicago ". shiftgig was also included in cio's " 10 hot social media startups to watch ".
shiftgig connects hourly workers and businesses through a mobile application. aiming to streamline and modernize the traditional staffing industry, it develops an employment-related mobile application, where employees can claim jobs in real-time. shiftgig's product and business model have been compared with that of both linkedin and uber. the company was listed among business insider magazine's " 25 coolest new businesses in chicago ". shiftgig was also included in cio's " 10 hot social media startups to watch ".