So long, Gigster
After 5 incredible years at Gigster, I stepped down last year to take some time off and pursue a new venture, announced today. I remain on the board and will continue to do whatever I can to help the leadership team grow the business. Although I’ll stay close, I will miss the Gigster family and my day-to-day role in pursuing our vision to power the world’s engineering.
I am excited to pass the baton to Chris Keene, the perfect CEO to guide Gigster through our next chapters. Chris has an engineering background, founder DNA, multiple exits as CEO (including an IPO!), deep experience in our industry at VMware, BMC, Pivotal, and McKinsey, and a true passion for the Gigster vision. The team loves him and he has already made major strides forward. We are lucky to have Chris and I couldn’t be more excited about Gigster’s future. Expect a more formal announcement of this transition soon.
What started in 2013 as me, Debo Olaosebikan, and Aaron Cheung working out of a room in my house has come a long way. Today we are privileged to power software development for 1,200+ discerning customers including Exxon Mobil, Google, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, Prudential, HP, Liberty Mutual, Delta Air Lines, Coca Cola, and Nike. We fill a burning need for these businesses, radically improving upon the outsourcing experience they’re used to. We have proven our independent talent vision, building the world’s best network of 1,000+ software developers including Apple design award winners, Stanford CS lecturers, leading OSS developers, Forbes 30 under 30 technologists, cyber security researchers, Silicon Valley CTOs, and rocket scientists, from over 30 countries. We are creating a new career for this talent and, within it, the best place to work. Our technology vision is beginning to deliver with GDE (Gigster Development Environment) and the data-driven tools that optimize our software development process. We have built a strong business financially, quickly growing revenues to the double-digit millions, and are on track to achieve profitability this year. Our headquarters team is the best I have worked with, covering the backgrounds we need to succeed in both deep tech and services. Ultimately we have built an enduring brand that customers trust and see as meaningfully different. This is the beating heart of Gigster that will take us forward.
Listing achievements and numbers is one thing, but it doesn’t really tell our story. We empower our customers to change the world with technology, so our true product is the work we do for them and the impact that work has. Here are some of my favorite projects:
- Crowdsourced cancer diagnosis platform
- Social network for long-haul truckers
- Peer-to-peer lending service for Sri Lanka
- Genetic diagnostics tool for the agriculture industry
- Student attendance and grade tracking tool for school districts
- Real-time estimation for local emergency room wait times
- Daily mental health symptom tracker
- Dating app for Muslim Americans
- ML system to identify offensive content for a popular online marketplace
- Service to connect probation officers with convicts
- Fleet management for ocean-based shipping
- Remote control for a flying car
- On-demand beauty and wellness specialists for Asia
- CV system to automate roof damage claims
- On-demand cookie delivery service
- Simulation engine to design nose pads for sunglasses
- Ride planning app for motorcyclists
- Consumer-facing website for a popular sports drink
- Customer sentiment dashboard for a top fast food chain
- Driver app for a medical marijuana delivery service
- Private wealth management platform for millennials
- Inventory management app for a fruit packing company
As I used to remind the team every quarter, we are privileged to be custodians of the Gigster vision. I will miss having that privilege. To our customers, Gigsters, partners, and employees, it has truly been an honor working together. Thank you for your dedication and your friendship.
Roger
