Guru.com is a
freelance marketplace
''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...
. It allows companies to find freelance workers for commissioned work. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, Guru was initially known as ''eMoonlighter.com''.
History
Guru Inc. was founded in 1999
in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
as an online clearing house for high tech workers seeking short-term contracts. The company, led by brothers Jon and James Slavet, raised $3M in angel funding and a further $16M in a full venture round led by
Greylock Partners
Greylock Partners is one of the oldest venture capital firms, founded in 1965, with committed capital of over $3.5 billion under management. The firm focuses on early-stage companies in the consumer, enterprise software and infrastructure as wel ...
and
August Capital
August Capital, legally August Capital Master Management Company, LLC, is a venture capital firm founded by David Marquardt and John Johnston in 1995. It is focused on information technology and is based in Menlo Park, California.
Company
Aug ...
.
In a May 2000 interview,
Paul Saffo cited Guru.com as an example of a company using the Internet to provide new kinds of services where individuals negotiated directly with potential employers.
The company was acquired in December 2002 by
Unicru
Unicru was a United States computer software company which produced a human resources software line built to aid companies in evaluating job applicants and their suitability for particular positions by giving them personality tests. Many of their ...
, a human resources software company based in Portland, Oregon.
Guru's technology and staff remained with Unicru. Guru has overall, received an approximate of $41 million in funding.
In June 2003, small business consulting and creative design firm ''eMoonlighter'' bought Guru.com through the leadership of chief executive officer Inderpal Guglani, who subsequently became CEO of Guru.
In February 2004, ''eMoonlighter'' officially changed its name to Guru.com.
The acquisition, which brought along several clients now relying on Guru for freelancing needs, boosted eMoonlighter's reputation of only offering the services of “moonlighting” freelancers to one of full-time, reliable freelance workers able to meet the needs of any company–which has become what Guru is known for today.
How Guru Works
Guru connects employers and freelancers securely and flexibly online. Employers post job descriptions, including payment offered. Freelancers post profiles highlighting their skills and services.
[Maria Guzzo,] Employers can search for and invite specific freelancers to submit quotes for jobs, and freelancers who are interested in jobs can submit bids. Employers review the quotes received along with freelancers’ profiles, portfolios, feedback reviews, and earnings statistics and select freelancers to hire. Employers and freelancers form an agreement on the scope of work, payment terms, and timeline.
Guru's WorkRoom feature allows employers to manage one or more freelancers, assign roles, and keep interactions, time tracking, and payments in one place.
Guru's SafePay payment system ensures secure payment for employers and freelancers. Employers and freelancers choose from various payment methods. Employers can deposit funds so freelancers see that funds are available before starting work, and employers release funds after reviewing the work.
Guru currently claims to have around three million online users, with nearly one million visits to the site each month.
Merger & Present day
Unicru
Unicru was a United States computer software company which produced a human resources software line built to aid companies in evaluating job applicants and their suitability for particular positions by giving them personality tests. Many of their ...
sold the Guru.com
domain name
A domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control within the Internet. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services and more. As ...
and logo to
eMoonlighter.com, and eMoonlighter was renamed Guru.com.
See also
*
Upwork
Upwork Global Inc., formerly Elance-oDesk, is an American freelancing platform headquartered in Santa Clara and San Francisco, California. The company was formed in 2013 as Elance-oDesk, after the merger of Elance Inc. and oDesk Corp. The merg ...
*
Fiverr
*
Freelancer.com
*
PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour, legally People Per Hour Limited, is a UK-based company whose function is as an online platform giving businesses access to freelance workers.
History
Founded in 2007 by Xenios Thrasyvoulou and Simos Kitiris, the company has ...
References
External links
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guru.Com
Online marketplaces of the United States
Business services companies established in 1998
Internet properties established in 1998
Freelance marketplace websites
Employment websites in the United States
Companies based in Pittsburgh
1998 establishments in Pennsylvania