A fast-growing local services听marketplace is eyeing听huge expansion in the UK after raising funding.听
Airtasker听was founded in Australia in 2012听by听Tim Fung听when he听asked a friend with a truck to help him move house.听He听was left听wondering why we听make such demands of听friends and family听when听there are听many听people looking for extra work and听ways to make money.听
Members post tasks they need to be done, and users bid to do them.听From听putting together flat pack furniture, shopping, in-home cooking听or something like听motivating someone,听any type of task听is possible.听
鈥淎s听Airtasker听isn鈥檛 limited to any particular service category 鈥� such as landscaping or graphic design 鈥� there is an almost infinite variety of tasks which can be completed through the marketplace,鈥� CEO Fung tells听老九品茶Cloud.听听
鈥淥ver the next few years, it鈥檚 likely we鈥檒l continue to see the rise of new service categories听such as听spider removal services听within digital marketplaces like听Airtasker.鈥�听
The听open marketplace is built on trust through transparency and accountability, with听positive peer reviews and ratings leading听to greater earning opportunities.听听
The platform launched in the UK in 2018. It听has听grown a community in听the UK and Ireland of听more than 195,000 people, with听4.2听million听in听Australia听and听New Zealand听鈥� outlining the potential growth opportunity.听
鈥淭he UK is a key market for our global expansion due to its huge market size and urban scale, but most importantly its cultural fit,鈥� said Fung.听
鈥淲hen we first expanded into the UK, we researched consumer attitudes and found that UK consumers have similar attitudes to Australians when it comes to local services and trust levels within the community.听听
鈥淲e believe there鈥檚 a huge growth opportunity for听Airtasker听in the UK, as we encourage more users on听to the platform and continue to help Brits get more done.听
鈥淲e鈥檙e planning to invest heavily into international expansion with a focus on city-level markets in the US and UK.鈥�听
The company has raised听拢11.3m to fuel global growth, beginning with the听acquisition of听Zaarly听in the US.听It听recently upgraded its forecast with an FY21 target of听around听$26m revenue.听听
Airtasker听has a听fully remote workforce, with听marketing听and听product teams based in Manila and听its听Sydney headquarters.听听
Fung said听the impact of听COVID-19听means听the听flexible听labour听economy听is听鈥渃ritical鈥澨齣n听helping rebuild听global听economies.听
“With the end of Universal Credit in September, more people will be searching for new income streams and that鈥檚 why we believe Airtasker can have a truly positive impact on the future of work,鈥� he explained.