Canada is the new black. Indeed is making acquisitions there, programmatic is happening there, and Google for Jobs is expanding there. Even our president is fascinated with our neighbors to the north. And now comes word that freelancing platform Moonlighting is open for business there.
Announced at the end of August, this is Moonlighting’s first foray outside the U.S. The company says its expansion to Canada is just the first phase of the company’s larger plan to grow its platform to meet the growing demand for freelancing worldwide. It plans on expanding to Europe later this year as well.
“Moonlighting continues to attract freelancers from all around the globe who are seeking a place to showcase their skills and talent,” said Jeff Tennery, “Thanks to the success we have enjoyed in the U.S., we now have a freelance solution that can extend beyond the border and include talented Canadian freelancers.”
Founded in 2015, Moonlighting relies on a variety of media partnerships in the U.S. to get the word out to independent workers, including deals with media companies like USA Today and the Los Angeles Times. Moonlighting says local media outlets in Canada will also introduce its on-demand hiring platform throughout Canada via news publications in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor, and Vancouver.
Moonlighting says its platform currently serves 650,000 freelancers throughout North America.
The freelance economy is hot. Upwork, probably the best-known service, is reportedly planning an IPO soon and is aggressively going after enterprise-level corporations. Platforms such as Snag and Pared are growing and raising money to place workers into opportunities such as restaurant servers. Even LinkedIn is dipping its toe into the small business hiring game, which could eventually play well with a contractor model.
Needless to say, Moonlighting has a lot of work to do in this competitive space, and it’s tackling it with some unique strategies. The company introduced an ICO earlier this year to take advantage of the cryptocurrency craze that’s died down a lot lately, and it pushes its blockchain technology frequently.
It’s even raising money through Republic, having raised $16,665 at the time of this article with 118 days left to hit its goal of $25,000 minimum. Moonlighting has raised over $6 million in venture funding. Newspaper publishers such as Gannett, Tribune, and McClatchy are investors.
