Software enterprise startup Gigwalk raised $10 million for its Series B funding round, VentureBeat reported.
The round was led by Nokia Growth Partners and Randstad Holdings. Previous backers August Capital and SoftTech also participated in the round. Proceeds from the most recent round brought to $17.7 million the funding total of the San Francisco-based firm since it was launched three years ago, the report said.
According to Gigwalk Chief Executive officer Bob Bahramipour, there are now 500,000 "Gigwalkers" on their platform. This network of folks basically does "visibility" tasks to check if the direct marketing efforts and campaigns done for customers are done correctly. For example, if a certain company is rolling out a campaign targeted for big chain grocery stores, Gigwalkers go to that store to determine if it is being carried out and then give their feedback, the report said.
This kind of compliance check may not be very common but Bahramipour said it works. He told VentureBeat, "It let's [clients] see something that is otherwise hidden. It's connecting tissue to see what they've never seen before."
Gigwalkers are encouraged to do these tasks because they earn money from it. The invitation for Gigwalkers on the website boldly invites Gigwalkers, "Get out there. Make a few bucks for that movie opening this weekend, or make an extra pay check: it's up to you. Download the app for iPhone or Android and get started making money right away, in your own neighborhood."
Gigwalk's Chief Technology Officer Matt Crampton is the brains behind Gigwalk. According Bahramipour, companies are willing to fork out funds just to ascertain that the millions they allocate for promotions and product launches are used well. Although it rivals other enterprise software players like Oracle and SAP, it is one of its kind because they provide the actual physical checking courtesy of Gigwalkers, the report said.
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