On-Demand Platform Gigster Gets Boost From Andreessen Horowitz

Andreessen Horowitz is betting big on Gigster — a new on-demand programming platform that accepts ideas and ships out complete software products — by leading a $10 million investment in the company.

The investment comes just 18 weeks after the launch of the San Francisco-based startup, which so far has over 300 customers, has 50 software development projects in the pipeline and has shipped out products like Adhawk and Pinslist.

Adhawk is an app project, which, according to Gigster, tracks web metrics for ad campaigns and was built by developers who previously worked for Google’s AdSense business. One of its other projects, Pinslist, is a Web platform that brings together the best of local Craigslist postings and Pinterest to create an aesthetically pleasing visual interface that makes buying products through Craigslist easier.

The startup reportedly utilizes data collected from its past projects to inform and accurately allocate resources, like designers, managers and developers, for new projects that it produces per its customers’ requirements. This approach helps its clients save time and money on project development.

“Even companies like Google and Facebook can have difficulties [hiring developers],” Gigster CEO Roger Dickey told VentureBeat. “We don’t think that every company needs to hire a development team … We are the world’s engineering department.”

The startup’s Series A round comes after it graduated from Y Combinator and scored $2.5 million in funding. Within 15 days of its launch, the company had over $1 million worth of projects, according to TechCrunch.

The company reportedly said that with its $10 million Series A funding — which besides Andreessen Horowitz was supported by Ashton Kutcher and Y Combinator Continuity Fund, among others — it now plans on developing its own artificial intelligence (AI) platform.

This is not the first time that a software development startup has caught Horowitz’s attention. As TechCrunch points out, Horowitz has previously invested in Toptal, a freelance marketplace that provides for software development projects.