INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Superside, a startup aiming to create a premium alternative to the existing crowdsourced design platforms, is announcing that it has raised
$3.5 million in new funding.
It also adding new features like the ability to work on user interfaces, interaction design and motion graphics
Co-founder and CEO Fredrik Thomassen said this allows the company to offer &a full-service design solution.
You may have heard about
Superside under its old name Konsus
In a blog post, Thomassen explained the recent change in name and branding, writing, &We changed our name and look to align with what we had
become: The world top team of international designers and creatives.
He told me Superside was created to address his own frustrations after
trying to use marketplaces like 99designs and Fiverr
He argued that there a problem with &adverse selection on those platforms.& In other words, &The best people … don''t remain, because they
don''t have a career path — they&re fighting with other freelancers to get the jobs.
Superside, on the other hand, is picky about the
designers it works with — it claims to select 100 designers from the more than 50,000 applications it receives each year
But if they are accepted, they&re guaranteed full-time work.
Thomassen said the platform is built for large enterprises that have their
own design and marketing teams but still need additional support
Customers include Uber, LinkedIn, L&Oreal, Cisco, Santander, Amazon, Walmart Tiffany - Co
Hewlett Packard and Airbus
In addition to choosing good designers, Superside also built a broader project management platform.
We&re
basically automating everything: Finding people, screening people, on-boarding, on-the-job learning, invoicing of customers, project
management, all of the nitty gritty,& Thomassen said
&The only thing not automated is design — that where the human element and the creativity come in.
Plus, Thomassen said Superside can turn
around a standard piece of artwork in 12 hours: &Nobody else can do what we&re doing in terms of speed.
The new funding comes from Freestyle
Capital, with participation from High Alpha Ventures, Y Combinator and Alliance Ventures.
We&re very much a mission-driven company,&
&For me, the reason to go to work in the morning is to help build an online labor market and create equal economic opportunity for everyone
in the world.
As 99designs turns 10, CEO Patrick Llewellyn plans for an Australian IPO
