Meaningful Gigs Raises $6M Seed To Link African Designers With Remote Jobs From US Companies

After struggling to connect with top technologists and designers, Ronnie Kwesi Coleman co-founded Meaningful Gigs two years ago. The inspiration drew from Coleman’s desire to specifically connect Black product designers and developers around the world with better job opportunities.

Now – the company has raised $6million.

The seed round was led by Stage 2 Capital with participation from Rethink Education, Authentic Ventures, Reach Capital, Marla Blow, Zvi Band, and Michele Perry.

Stage 2 Capital partner, Mandy Cole told TechCrunch, “With the shortage of highly skilled talent and the increasing need for diverse thinking, especially in creative, marketing and product, Meaningful Gigs is solving a huge problem by connecting talented African designers with companies to deliver best-in-class design.

“We’ve been impressed with the Meaningful Gigs team’s focus in providing the best design experience for their clients while providing amazing tools for their designers; we’re excited to support their journey to become the destination for diverse design talent.”

Coleman founded the startup in 2018 with Stephanie Nachemja-Bunton (COO) and Max Farago (CTO) and they plan to use the funds.

The D.C.-based startup is set to accelerate its growth by signing up more designers on its platform after raising $6 million in seed funding.

To sign up on the platform, designers go through a vetting process that includes test projects. Meaningful Gigs has already matched “thousands” of these designers from “over a dozen” countries in Africa with clients.