Today was a big day for WorkWhile! We got to share that we raised $23 million from top-tier investors to secure the future of the American worker.

Funding that builds and empowers the workforce of tomorrow is huge, but securing this raise was about more than money. It was also a highly personal endeavor. 

My first job ever was a retail associate at Party City back when I was in high school. I later moved on to Kenny Rogers Roasters (RIP The Gambler), a fast-food chicken restaurant chain. These formative experiences taught me a lot – some good, some bad, all valuable to where I am today. Between unpredictable schedules, uncertainty about getting enough hours, and the chaos of showing up one day to find your workplace boarded up (yes, that happened), I learned firsthand the challenges hourly workers face on a daily basis.

My career has since progressed through Wharton, Wall Street, BCG and big tech. When we started WorkWhile, it wasn't just about creating another tech platform. I really wanted to build tech for the people I grew up with, the 80 million hourly workers in the U.S., who represent more than half the workforce. No one was building tools that put the worker first, to help them upskill, earn more, or do more. I wanted to harness Silicon Valley startup intensity in service to the people who keep our economy running. Our vision for WorkWhile is to be the operating system for hourly labor, allowing talent and businesses to seamlessly connect with each other while supporting workers with the training and financial services they need to get ahead. That means a system that can source, screen, recruit, onboard, train, schedule, coach, pay and support workers every step of the way, to ensure businesses find and retain the best talent.

A Full-Circle Moment

This funding round represents a turning point for WorkWhile, not just because of the money flowing in that will help us accomplish our bold goals even faster, but because of the truly world-class people it's bringing together. I'm particularly proud that our Series B was led by Rethink Impact, the largest venture fund focused on investing in female founders. Their belief in our mission is a powerful endorsement of what we're building.

It’s also a sweet moment for me because Simon Khalaf, who most recently served as Marqeta’s CEO, is expanding his role from WorkWhile board member to Chief Operating Officer. Simon has been instrumental to my career, hiring me first at Flurry, a mobile app analytics startup, where we rode the wave of mobile transformation together more than a decade ago. And then mentoring me through our Yahoo days. 

Simon’s support has been unwavering throughout my career. In fact, when I was looking to start a new company, it was Simon who introduced me to Vinod Khosla; Vinod wrote our first check. It’s a pinch-me moment to get to work side by side with Simon again, day in and day out with a partner that brings the same level of founder intensity. 

But Simon isn't the only addition to our stellar management team. We are also incredibly fortunate to welcome Cyrus Akrami as our Chief Revenue Officer. Cyrus has done a stellar job leading sales for Faire, an online marketplace that connects 100k+ brands with hundreds of thousands of retailers, much the same way we link hourly workers with businesses seeking their services.

We’re excited to bring on Madhu Jagannathan, an experienced marketplace CFO who knows how to expertly grow successful companies. He will shepherd us fiscally forward as we enter our next phase. I’m also proud to welcome another phenomenal builder, Davis Waddell, as our Global Strategic Partnerships Lead. He brings invaluable expertise from his time as CEO and President of Qwick and founder of Tend, two pioneering players in the hospitality space. 

With growth comes opportunity, and I’m thrilled to announce Sean Abraham has been promoted as WorkWhile’s Head of Engineering. Sean is building the AI engineering team that applies bleeding edge advancements to reinvent frontline work and puts more money in workers pockets. Our engineering org demands excellence as with every line of code there is a worker on the other end trying to feed their family.  

The People Behind the Platform

All of this is certainly great news, but what really drives me is the impact we're having on actual workers' lives. We consistently hear about workers previously living paycheck to paycheck but who can now build savings, pay down credit card debt, take family vacations, supplement income, or even buy a home (check out some of our worker profiles here). WorkWhile gives them the freedom and the flexibility they need to accomplish their goals.

One of the reasons we can make such an impact is because our team never loses sight of what’s important, for workers and for businesses. This isn’t just CEO-speak. We work shifts. For example, one of my favorite placements was working crowd control at The Eras Tour. By using our product and putting ourselves in the position of the worker, start to finish, on a consistent basis, we can persistently refine our experience.

When we treat workers with respect and give them control over their schedules, amazing things happen. By using AI and machine learning to predict worker quality and reliability (with 95% accuracy), we're able to achieve industry-leading fill rates and 96% show rates. This means businesses get the talent they need, and workers get shifts that fit their lives.

Inventing the Future of Frontline Work

With our latest round of funding, we're doubling down on our mission to transform the $650B global staffing market. We've already experienced 10x growth over three years, and we're planning to double our headcount in the next year.

But growth for growth's sake has never been our intent. Everything we build is designed to better serve our community of over one million frontline workers and the businesses that need them. Whether it's stocking warehouses, delivering packages, cooking meals, or staffing major events, WorkWhile workers are essential to keeping our economy running. This new capital allows us to continue building the operating system for hourly labor, investing in an agentic future that serves workers and tackles their financial challenges. To read more about our philosophy, check out the WorkWhile manifesto. 

As someone who started on the floor of Party City, I never take for granted how meaningful reliable, flexible work can be. Our funding, our technology, our leadership team – they all exist in service to the workers who make everything possible. That's who we're here for.

If this mission resonates, join us.