Flipgigs Enables Students to Find Jobs

Sophomore works with innovative startup companyNaushaba KhanTHE SANTA CLARAOctober 10, 2013Although communication, social media and technology have drastically improved over the past few years, finding paying jobs or internships can still be tough. Flipgigs, a startup company, is designed to connect local consumers and businesses with high school and college students looking for full- or part-time work. Students are able to explore thousands of internships, jobs and “gigs” on the company’s site. Sophomore Henry Spivey is the Social Media Marketing and Community Manager of Flipgigs.“In a sense, we are like BroncoLink on steroids,” said Spivey. “Except students will find job postings from smaller businesses and companies instead.” Conventionally, students found jobs through school officials, their parents’ networks or by knocking on doors. Flipgigs hopes to offer a platform on which students will have the opportunity to showcase their skills and display their passion for consumers and businesses searching for local services. The company’s aim is to make the process of finding odd jobs and gigs easier because the current process, according to Spivey, is “stuck in the old ages.” Flipgigs has gained a considerate amount of recognition and credibility over the past year. The company was launched in Beta at “The Startup Conference” in Mountain View, Calif. on May 2, 2012, where it was unanimously voted “The Best Startup Award” by a panel. Dave McClure, who has started 500 other startups,  Thomas Korte of AngelPad, and several other firms such as Garage Ventures, K9 and Soft Tech presided on the panel in July 2012. Flipgigs was also voted one of the top 10 Startups at Vator Splash, a startup company competition in Los Angeles held by one of the largest business networks committed to high-tech entrepreneurs.Forbes, PandoDaily and Silicon Valley Business News have also positively recognized the startup company.“In Silicon Valley speak, Flipgigs is like a new SaaS — students-as-a-service. Someone wants an hour of work done here, another wants a half-hour done there and a student is happy to fulfill both needs, for the right price,” according to PandoDaily magazine. “There are many sites and services that aim to connect job seekers with employers, but very few of them are specifically catered to students.”Forbes Magazine writer Shel Irael stated, “It is an extremely good idea that helps young people and their neighbors. If it can build that database quickly enough, I think it has the opportunity to become a very large company,"Flipgigs mainly focuses on services that are age-relevant for high school and undergraduate students. “As far as jobs go,” said Spivey, “employers can now leverage students for new-age jobs like social media marketing, blogging and traditional jobs like market research, programming, marketing and sales.”Contact Naushaba Khan at nakhan@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.Corrections: October 13, 2013Henry Spivey was misrepresented as cofounder of Flipgigs. Spivey is the Social Media Marketing and Community manager of the company. The Redwood City-Woodside Patch Magazine was misquoted. It should have been attributed to Forbes Magazine writer Shel Israel.Dave McClure was misrepresented as having supported 500 startups. He has started 500 startups.