Swarm, a Philippine-based platform for freelancers and product builders, has announced raising $1.1 million in its latest funding round anchored by pre-Seed venture capital firm Hustle Fund and Silicon Valley startup accelerator Plug and Play.
The startup’s pre-Seed funding round was also supported by angel investors, including Paulo Campos of Kaya Founders; outsourcing industry pioneers Vivek Padmanabhan and Jim Franke; and early and founding team members at Google, Facebook, and DoorDash.
Helmed by co-founder and CEO Dexter Ligot-Gordon, Swarm is an invite-only freelancer network where members ideate, strategize, and form freelance teams around startup founder projects.
The company said it differentiates itself from other headhunting platforms by promoting a community-driven approach to hiring. Freelancers are only introduced to clients if they are endorsed by other users.
While endorsers stake their reputation when promoting freelancers, they also get rewards for doing so. This process ensures that clients get high-quality freelancers, the company said.
“Swarm is taking a novel approach to scaling warm referrals by building a community of trust. Their platform facilitates work by empowering individuals to vouch for tech professionals they trust, and reap rewards in return,” said Hustle Fund general partner Shiyan K.
Swarm said more than 80% of its hired builders have worked at companies backed by Y Combinator and Fortune 500. The startup’s clients on the platform include the former CTO of computer security software McAfee, consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble, and global payments firm Parallax, among others.
Ligot-Gordon, the co-founder and CEO, is the co-founder of Kalibrr, the first Southeast Asian and Philippine startup accepted into the global startup accelerator Y Combinator.
He said Swarm is excited to embark on the next phase of its growth journey with the support of Hustle Fund, Plug and Play, and the other investors who participated in the pre-Seed funding round.
“Their strategic guidance and expertise in building startups and in corporate innovation are invaluable as we continue to build a platform that scales the flexible workforce by scaling trust,” Ligot-Gordon said.