South African startup Bountly has launched the beta version of its recruitment platform in the Western Cape, targeted at students, unemployed individuals, travellers and individuals hoping to add a secondary stream of income to their households.
Bountly will expand to Durban and Johannesburg later in the year, while it also has plans for Nigeria and even Spain in the near future.
The startup intends to create a significant wave of change in the unemployment market in South Africa by providing a simple solution to finding secondary or primary work.
Users can post tasks for “online” or “in-person” jobs in and around Cape Town, or alternatively make an offer on existing tasks if they feel they are qualified for the position.
“Bountly targets the grey area, the undefined and task-related work roles, of which there are an abundance in South Africa,” said co-founder Carly Jack.
“We want to give people equal opportunity, and a marketplace to create an authority in their chosen profession,” said fellow co-founder Michael Whelehan, while chief executive officer (CEO) Simon Telian said: “We want to create trust in the workplace, while giving our users the competitive edge. Our peer-to-peer review system lets users rate one another, much like Uber, or AirBnb.”
Bountly allows the user to create a profile, and keep a record of all of their transactions with other users. It offers a virtual bank of recommendations, and the ability to build strong credibility.
