Online marketplace for service providers, Findworka, has launched in Lagos, Nigeria, aiming to connect users with artisans or freelancers quickly, and at a good price.
Findworka provides an online marketplace where users can search for any type of artisan or service provider they need for a project; or post a project listing and invite applications.
Equally, service providers create a profile advertising their services and fees, and so can be contacted by users with a project that needs completing; while the platform also sends service providers SMS-based alerts with new projects listed on the site.
According to founder Dele Bakare, the startup stems from the experience that “most people have trouble finding competent and trustworthy service providers who deliver without drama.”
“We have all experienced challenges with people we hired to fix our phones, make our furniture or service our generators and did horrible jobs.”
Service providers are rated by customers based on competence, timeliness and attitude; helping users connect with the best quality providers.
For the providers listed, the platform aims to open up a much larger client base, allowing artisans to leverage the internet to increase their incomes.
“We plan to make Findworka the first option for any hiring, outsourcing and freelancing – the quintessential tasks and service marketplace in Lagos, Nigeria, and then Africa,” says founder Dele Bakare.
“Our startup solves a problem that is close to the heart […] With Findworka, you don’t need to know all the service providers in Nigeria, we are solving that problem,” he says.
“Our goal is to make people get their work done faster by the best people at the best prices.”
One unique feature of the platform is that all registered users can post jobs as well as services; the platform is not limited to professional service providers. Bakare says this is to reflect the fact that many people wish to supplement their income by making use of their skills outside of employment.
“Even employed people want to commercialize their spare time for additional income,” he says.
Findworka is currently serves users in Lagos, although online jobs – for example, web design, or development – are obviously not limited to location. The startup plans to scale to Abuja within the next three months, with requests for services already coming in from the city.
