In a testament to its success in a large corner of the employment market that has been underserved by technology providers, Jobaline is raising a substantial round of fresh capital. The Kirkland, Washington company has raised $7 million in Series B funding for a nationwide expansion of its mobile, bi-lingual marketplace for recruiting hourly workers. The round was led by a new investor, Trilogy Equity Partners, with participation from Founders Co-op, and returning backers Madrona Venture Group and Rudy Gadre, an angel investor and Founders Co-op partner.
Jobaline, a bilingual marketplace that helps businesses hire dishwashers, construction workers, mechanics, landscapers and janitors, has closed a second round of funding totaling $7 million. The Kirkland, Wash-based startup will use the money to expand from the 10 cities it operates in today to 50 of the top metropolitan areas by the end of the year. Jobaline’s marketplace first launched in Seattle, the Bay Area and Miami, and just a few weeks ago expanded into Portland, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Nashville, Phoenix and Kansas City. Jobaline, which is led by Luis Salazar, the former Microsoft manager and chief marketing officer at Global Market Insite, said the company raised a second round less than a year after the first round because its customers, including regional and national brands, asked them to expand faster than they expected.
