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
KCultivator Q&A: John Coler champions making a quick impact, packs of dolphins
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Today Startland takes a closer look at startup ecosystem champion John Coler. Check out our features on Made in KC’s Tyler Enders, Hispanic business builder Pedro Zamora, ‘fashionpreneur’ Jordan Williams, Plexpod founder Gerald Smith, innovation coach Diana…
Backed by $4M round, Hilary’s Eat Well expanding organic food line, hiring 10-15 workers
Hilary’s Eat Well is growing its plant-based food line, company leaders said. The move to diversify the company’s offerings — as well as to more efficiently produce larger quantities of its free-from (dairy- and gluten-free) products — comes as the Lawrence-based operation moves its storage to an off-site facility, freeing up manufacturing space, said Lydia…
City challenges startup leaders to swap social media for in-person dialogue on regulation
Editor’s note: Rick Usher is a member of the Kansas City Startup Foundation’s policy committee, and Sarah Shipley is a board member for KCSF, the parent organization of Startland News. This piece was independently produced. There’s a void of shared awareness between city government and the startup community, Rick Usher said. That’s why government officials and leaders…
8-year-old Raytown entrepreneur strings together jewelry business
Raelynn Heath’s bling is inspiring, her mother said. The 8-year-old entrepreneur has spent half her life developing a brand built on crafting original jewelry and repairing broken pieces, she said. “We take a little bit of the old and the new and the practical,” said Regina Lastiee-Heath. Young Raelynn markets her jewelry on Facebook and…