To meet the extraordinary demand for jobs, a trio of Hawaii-based entrepreneurs launched a new website to match freelance workers with employers.
Gigerati is “a smart online platform that matches available gig work with a local community of qualified gig workers,” with a mission to help businesses thrive by creating and connecting them with people who are looking to work while maximizing flexibility and opportunity.
The site launched in beta yesterday, according to cofounder and app developer Brian Dote. He said the first phase of operation includes a collaboration with the McKinley Community School for Adults.
“The timing is perfect, the need is there,” Dote told HawaiiTech.com.
Currently serving the island of Oahu, Gigerati offers delivery and non-delivery gigs in a range of industries including retail and restaurants.
In a volatile and uncertain economic environment, Gigerati says most local business owners must pivot to an on-demand operating model to survive. Meanwhile, to ensure financial resiliency for Hawaii families, workers need to find a way to explore new employment opportunities while maximizing work schedule flexibility to earn extra income.
In addition to Dote, Gigerati’s three founders are David Oyadomari and Maggie Dang. All three previously worked at Bank of Hawaii.
Dote is the former Senior Vice President and Director of Mobile and Digital Commerce at Bank of Hawaii, and is an experienced, patent-holding mobile application developer. He was a leadership team member at Apple where he developed core iOS patents and technologies prior to launching his own app development firm, Tapiki.
Oyadomori served on the managing committee at Bank of Hawaii where he held positions in Retail digital-physical transformation, online & mobile banking, ATMs, Contact Center, Deposit, Payments, and Lending Products.
Dang is the former Executive Vice President at Bank of Hawaii and brings over 20 years of strategic marketing & planning, client experience, process improvement, and training & development experience.
Workers must be 18 years of age or older with a Social Security Number or I-9 Visa, be able to receive SMS text messages and online payments via Paypal or Venmo, and have access to a computer with internet access.
The service is free for gig workers, while employers will pay $9.99 per matched worker.
Gigerati notes that is a platform, and not an employer itself nor an employment agency, although it does provide support, answer questions, and resolves issues between gig workers and employers who participate.