Software for Freelancers

2023. Collective, a financial management platform for freelancers, raises $50M



Collective, a platform and advisory team catering to freelancers, has recently announced a successful funding round of $50 million. The main objective of Collective is to offer freelancers a comprehensive suite of services similar to those typically found in a corporate finance department. By harnessing the power of AI, specifically utilizing OpenAI's GPT-4, the platform strives to automate various processes such as expense categorization and bank reconciliation. In addition to this, Collective provides tools for executing payroll, managing quarterly and annual tax filings, and monitoring monthly expenses and deductions. The ultimate goal is to eliminate the necessity for self-employed individuals to rely on separate tools for payroll, bookkeeping, taxes, and accounting, which is often one of the most challenging aspects of freelancing.


2019. Georges raises $11.2 million for its accounting automation tool



Georges, a French startup, aims to assist freelancers, doctors, and lawyers with their accounting needs. With Georges, you have the option to eliminate the need for an accountant and transition to a software-as-a-service solution. The product is incredibly user-friendly. To begin, you establish a connection between Georges and your professional bank account. The company utilizes Bankin' to establish connections with the majority of French banks. Subsequently, Georges automatically assigns tags to your income and expenses, enabling the calculation of your annual revenue, VAT, and other relevant factors. While some transactions may still require manual categorization, this process is significantly faster than individually entering each transaction into an accounting application. Once all items are accurately tagged, Georges generates the necessary paperwork and submits it to the tax authorities. Georges competes with more traditional software solutions like BNC Express. By incorporating machine learning, Georges has the potential to surpass these legacy tools in terms of efficiency.

2019. HoneyBook, CRM for creative businesses raises $28M



HoneyBook, a customer-relationship management platform tailored for small businesses in creative industries, has announced a successful Series C funding round, securing $28 million with Citi Ventures as the lead investor. This latest funding brings HoneyBook's total raised capital to $72 million. The company plans to utilize the funds to expand its teams in San Francisco and Tel Aviv, as well as develop new features to enhance the user experience for its diverse customer base, which includes small companies, solopreneurs, and freelancers. HoneyBook serves as a comprehensive CRM solution, assisting users in fostering relationships with potential clients, managing projects, generating invoices, and facilitating payments. The platform's tools are specifically designed to cater to the unique requirements of small businesses, enabling them to streamline their operations effectively. With this recent investment, HoneyBook aims to further empower creative professionals by providing them with advanced features and capabilities to support their growth and success.


2018. LucidChart raises $72 million to grow the web-based diagramming software



Web-based visual design platform Lucid Software has successfully secured $72 million in funding through a recent investment round. Established in 2010, Lucid Software is renowned for its flagship product, Lucidchart, which resembles Microsoft Visio and functions as a collaborative diagramming application for wireframing, UI prototyping, and various similar applications. Users ranging from freelancers to students can utilize this software to create a wide array of visuals, including organizational HR charts. Noteworthy competitors of Lucidchart include tools developed by Adobe and Microsoft Visio, while other prominent players in the field encompass SmartDraw, Gliffy, and the open-source Draw.io. Lucidchart aims to distinguish itself by offering a seamless user experience, compatibility across multiple devices and platforms, real-time collaboration, and advanced functionality such as automated diagrams and integration with external data sources.


2017. Skype introduced Professional accounts



Skype has unveiled a new account type called the Professional Account, catering specifically to freelancers and online entrepreneurs who offer services such as online lessons, tutoring, and consulting. The upcoming desktop client for the Skype Professional Account, set to be released in preview mode in the United States, introduces a range of powerful features that significantly streamline online business operations. In addition to conducting client meetings as usual on Skype, you can now conveniently schedule appointments, accept payments, and maintain notes—all within a single platform. During the preview phase, you can enjoy these business capabilities for free. Whether you're a French tutor or a yoga instructor, you'll be able to effortlessly manage lesson bookings, payment processing, and lesson delivery from a unified interface. Furthermore, we have enhanced the profile page to enhance your online presence and have even included a dedicated website for your small business directly within Skype. Your contacts will have access to essential information like your operating hours and business offerings. All these features seamlessly integrate with one another, allowing you to, for instance, send a payment request alongside a booking.


2016. JIRA gets Upwork integration



The project management service JIRA is introducing a new functionality that enables users to seamlessly convert JIRA tickets into job postings on the Upwork freelance marketplace. This integration allows JIRA users to simply click a button and access a pre-filled form to submit directly to Upwork's marketplace. This feature is particularly beneficial for small businesses that frequently face a backlog of feature requests and unresolved bug fixes. It is worth noting that this collaboration between Atlassian and Upwork is not the first time they have partnered in relation to JIRA. Upwork clients already have the ability to link their JIRA tickets to their Upwork account, enabling freelancers to track their time. Furthermore, clients can utilize Upwork's messaging feature to receive updates when a freelancer commits code to Bitbucket or updates a JIRA ticket, for instance.


2015. Freelance engineer marketplace Toptal now sells designers



Toptal, the platform dedicated to connecting companies with high-quality engineers, has expanded its services to include designers who have available time to assist companies in need. Toptal facilitates the entire freelance process by gathering job requirements from companies, negotiating budgets, and thoroughly vetting both parties involved to ensure a satisfactory experience for everyone. By ensuring the legitimacy of both the hirer and the freelancer, Toptal facilitates the perfect match. Rather than overwhelming the hirer with numerous resumes, Toptal presents an average of only 1.7 options for coders before the client finalizes a contract. The client pays Toptal, who then compensates the freelancer, while retaining the difference as profit. With an extensive pool of thousands of engineers, Toptal currently collaborates with around 2,000 clients ranging from established companies like J.P. Morgan and Pfizer to popular brands like Airbnb and Zendesk, as well as emerging startups.


2015. Cloud accounting service for freelancers FreeAgent raises $5M



The UK-based cloud accounting software for freelancers and micro-businesses, FreeAgent, has secured $5 million in funding. FreeAgent was founded in 2007 out of the frustration faced by small businesses and freelancers in managing their company finances, which was often deemed challenging. This funding news arrives at a time when the UK's cloud-based accounting software market presents opportunities for further consolidation. In 2013, Iris acquired KashFlow for an estimated £20 million, leaving several accounting SaaS startups available. These include Clearbooks and Crunch, with Crunch also targeting freelancers and micro-businesses while offering an accountant-inclusive model.


2012. Socialcast and Wrike go freemium



Freemium scheme is becoming more and more popular in the Enterprise 2.0 space. Two more popular SaaS services Socialcast and Wrike - have released the free versions with wide feature set. Socialcast - is the service for building corporate social networks, which is owned by VMWare. Unlike its main competitors (Chatter and Yammer), which offer free versions for unlimited number of users, but with limited functionality, Socialcast is offering free subscription for up to 50 users, but without any functional limitations. The main advantage of this offering is the high level of security and administrative tools. ***