Nigerian startup SoftWork has launched a platform connecting employers with freelance software developers, among other types of expertise, and already has 5,000 users.
Launched last August, SoftWork allows businesses or individuals to hire freelancers in areas such as web and mobile app development, social media marketing, content writing, photography, and graphic design.
It already has over 5,000 freelancers signed up, and has secured over 200 jobs since its launch. Chief executive officer (CEO) Chigozie Okwara said the platform was launched based on his own experiences as a freelancer in Africa.
“After many years of being a freelancer, I always looked forward to getting more jobs, either through referrals or through freelancing websites. But most freelancing websites were hosted in the United States, where most jobs shared on the platforms were international jobs, and the completion was also high,” he told Disrupt Africa.
“It was then I realised that there were no freelance platforms for talents in Africa as a whole.
I decided to create a platform to aggregate top talent, in Nigeria then market them to clients.”
That platform is SoftWork, which is self-funded but in the process of attempting to raise investment. Revenues come from commissions on jobs obtained through the platform, with Okwara saying any funding raised would be used for further marketing.
