Ooomf, the one-time app discovery startup which last year relaunched as a freelancer marketplace to connect mobile and web developers with projects that fit their skill set, is now changing its name to Crew, and announcing new funding. The company has raised an additional $2.1 million in a new round led by Fred Destin of Atlas Venture, investors in other marketplaces like Moo.com, Creative Market, CustomMade, and AngelList.
Also participating were Naval Ravikant, founder of AngelList; Real Ventures; iNovia Capital; Boldstart Venture Capital and others. Before starting Crew, the founding team were independent developers and designers themselves, which is why their shift to this type of business made sense. Plus, as co-founder Mikael Cho explained last year, helping companies build quality apps is really the first and most important piece to app discoverability, anyway.
As of a year ago, Crew (then Ooomf), had burned through half of its earlier $500,000 in funding as it shifted its focus to the freelancer marketplace. The team went “super lean,” says Cho, and began connecting its creatives to temporary gigs using simple tools, like a Wufoo form and Mailchimp newsletter.Read More