Quickly-growing HipHire to launch app for part-timers
January 31, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
A startup facilitating part-time job placement is finding traction.
Brian Kearns
Launched in 2015, HipHire digitally matches people looking for and offering part-time gigs. HipHire founder Brian Kearns wanted there to be a solution that was “a step up from CraigsList” that the public could rely on to find quality jobs.
Kearns said that over 1,000 job matches have been made and that the firm’s user rate has grown 176 percent in the last six months.
“We’ve learned an awful lot through the web application,” Kearns said. “We know that we’re ready to put this solution in the hands of more customers.”
To that end, Kearns said that the company is planning to launch an Android app that will help the company access more people.
Kearns said that he was inspired to launch the platform after the Great Recession. After the economic downturn, Kearns said the majority of new jobs that created were part-time. Kearns wanted to take advantage of this opportunity, while keeping the job seeker in mind first.
“We have a proven business model that was built here by Kansas Citians,” Kearns said. “Now, we need to raise money and throw gasoline on this fire.”
The app will initially only be available for Android users within Kansas City. Kearns plans to use this launch as a beta to help HipHire be more precise moving forward with its iOS launch later in 2017.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Meet Project UK, an accelerator helping entrepreneurs from underserved KC communities
Project UK founder Quest Taylor was ecstatic Tuesday when he received news his accelerator earned funding from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. “It was a stamp of approval for the organization,” Taylor said of the accelerator, which was founded in early 2017. “I was not expecting to receive the grant. We really had to prove…
ArtsKC launches new online guide to arts, cultural events
ArtsKC is offering residents in the region a new digital resource that hopes to grow engagement at area arts and cultural events. On Friday, the regional nonprofit organization launched ArtsKCGo.com, an online guide that features information on art, music, theater, dance, film, festivals and other cultural events in the area. Already with hundreds of events…
Hundreds of jobs, millions in payroll, Digital Sandbox details impact
Business incubator Digital Sandbox KC reported Wednesday its substantial effect on growing the area economy through its funding and mentorship of early-stage firms. Since its launch in 2013, Digital Sandbox has funded 85 projects, helping to create dozens of new products from startups. That’s resulted in hundreds of new jobs and million of dollars in…
Career initiative Hire KC Youth to expand metro-wide after $55K grant
Expanding from city hall to include the entire metro, Kansas City Mayor Sly James’ Hire KC Youth program will launch a summer pilot in June, aiming to cultivate more work-ready young people. In collaboration with the KC Social Innovation Center and Full Employment Council, Hire KC Youth is branching out of the confines of city…