If economists tried to measure the cost of the malaise that the election of 2016 left, we'd undoubtedly see billions, if not more, lost in worker productivity.
At the same time, I don't think I've ever seen more political engagement in my lifetime--and not just political engagement, but all sorts of action around causes they care about.
These two realities are linked. If you're not doing something to positively affect the world around you, you've likely been overcome by a lack of motivation. You're realizing that passing your work hours for pay alone, without meaning and impact, just isn't cutting it anymore.
We've seen the move towards more flexible work, but I think it will pale in comparison to the shift towards meaningful work. The best and brightest are going to need a much better reason to work for your company than the perks and benefits--the work itself is going to have to be meaningful.
That meaning isn't going to be something you search for on a traditional job board branded around impact--it's going to be an inherent part of the way you search. What you care about is going to be a filter as important as geography.
That's where Wethos comes in. I met Rachel Renock a few months ago at a SheWorx pitch event. I got what she was doing right away. Starting with freelancers, she was creating a place where impact was the guiding principle by which talented people sought ways to share their professional talent.
It reminded me of when I first heard the pitch for Kickstarter and then witnessed what it would become. While it may have been the way some bands would start funding their next album, it would go on to affect and inspire a whole generation of not only creative projects, but business plans as well. Pre-sales would enable companies to exist off the financing of the fans most passionate about their vision for products.
I was reminded of that when I interviewed Rachel's co-founder Kristen about how she hired their first two developers on the Startup Recruiting Podcast. What struck me was how they were bought into the passion of the team so early on--almost in a way that made it seem all too easy to hire them. That's going to be the case in the future. If you're not convincing someone of the impact they can make doing their primary job, you're going to have to overpay to make up for the lack of meaning you're providing. While they're focused on just freelancers today, still a huge market, I'm convinced they'll not only expand to all meaningful work in the future, but they'll help turn more work meaningful by changing the way companies design roles for their talent. Eventually, they'll impact how companies design their own goals--because otherwise they'll die from lack of talent.
I look forward to working with the Rachel, Kristen, and Claire, as well as some fantastic co-investors, like Flybridge and Corgin. Jesse Middleton at Flybridge led their investment--and Jesse knows a fair amount about seeing the future of how people work from his days as the founder of WeWork Labs. Also joining our round is Fabio Rosati, who was CEO of Upwork/Elance. Together, we'll help impactful organizations find the talent they need to make a difference--and help talent find work that makes a difference in their lives.