BuzzHire wants to be the engine that powers on-demand startups

Think about it – in order to quickly deliver hot meals, groceries or anything else, the growing legion of on-demand startups need either a huge staff base on standby or a flexible workforce available when needed. The latter makes a lot more sense, but how do you find workers at short notice when you need them?

BuzzHire wants to be the answer to the problem.

Launched last summer, the London-based company is already working with the likes of Deliveroo, Take Eat Easy and Quiqup, as well as more traditional businesses like Domino’s Pizza, hotels and event spaces, to supply temporary workers in as fast as four hours.

BuzzHire is the brainchild of Rocket Internet veteran Nick Miller, who after working with Rocket startups in Asia and Africa, ended up in London running EatFirst. It was there that he realized the untapped demand for a reliable source of short-notice temporary staff.

Workers joining BuzzHire specify the kinds of work they’re interested in and the days and times they’re available. Job offers are sent to them, and if they accept they are sent push notifications to ensure they get to the right place, on time.

BuzzHire isn’t without its rivals. Shiftgig in the USA and Catapult in the UK offer similar platforms but are focused on supplying staff to the hospitality industry rather than the on-demand economy.

Miller says he launched BuzzHire with a small funding round of £0.5 million ($714,000) and is starting to look at a new round as he scales the business. He says in talks with the on-demand likes of Tok Tok Tok, Jinn and ZipJet about working with them, too.

Rather than quickly expand beyond London, Miller plans focus on building up a big enough staff base to serve the whole of the UK’s capital. Let’s face it, if on-demand startups need flexible staff, an on-demand startup for on-demand startup needs a LOT of flexible staff.

➤ BuzzHire