On Kickstarter, the JobDash team is working to raise the capital to fulfill its dream: creating a gig jobs app where people can easily find or post gigs.
When you think “gig economy,” you likely think of Uber or DoorDash; i.e., specialized apps that focus on one or two types of jobs. JobDash’s innovation, cofounder Colin Gribben says, is to give people the chance to do lots more, with many cool tools at their disposal:
“If you don’t have your own means of transportation, your opportunities in the gig economy are limited, especially for those who are just starting out. Uber and DoorDash are so popular with workers because of the low barriers to entry, but even then, there are some people who won’t have a reliable vehicle to make a living in this area. Among other groups, we’re thinking students, low-income households, and housing-insecure people will find the app useful. We wanted to give everyone, including these growing demographics, more opportunities to earn than delivery and ridesharing, and provide them the tools to succeed.”
Gribben explains what some of these tools are:
“Our first priority is safety, which is why we plan to provide basic background checks to everyone who signs up. We believe this will do a lot to increase trust between workers and clients. These background checks will be free for the first week so that workers have a chance to begin earning before getting hit with the cost of the background check. This is an option that other apps don’t provide.”
For jobs that might require more sophisticated expertise or certainty about the worker, the team also plans to implement a modernized certification verification system.
“We plan to cater to both ‘skilled’ and ‘unskilled’ labor, but in both cases we want to provide clients with confidence about the workers’ professional backgrounds,” says Gribben.
The company is also considering partnering with a ridesharing company. That way, they could implement a feature for people without reliable means of transportation.
“Getting a gig ultimately means nothing if you can’t get to where the work is,” Gribben points out.
The app might also have games. According to Gribben, “Gamification is something we’re looking at closely to build connection and community. One of the stresses of working in the gig economy is wondering when the next job is coming. So we hope to make these periods of uncertainty go by faster with some free in-app games. Aside from being psychologically rewarding, we’ll also implement fun features like community-based leaderboards. Rewards would improve the user experience and build trust.”
At the other end of the spectrum, Gribben explains that this app is also an important tool for would-be employers. Often, people need a job done fast.
“We see the app as a tool for getting things done with very few limitations. Whether it’s walking your dog, running errands, doing a basic home repair, or almost anything else, we aim to put people who are in need in touch with prospective workers immediately.”
JobDash is on Kickstarter to build their minimum viable product, starting with a bronze package of $25 USD. Donations will count toward earning rewards on the app’s interface when it is eventually released.
Some rewards might be months without ads or periods without paying service fees. There may even be a lifetime pass where you’ll never see ads or pay service fees again.