Passionfruit recruitment: positive news for freelancers as recruitment platform secures $9m in funding
Passionfruit, a recruitment platform connecting globally-based freelancers with equally international businesses, has raised $9 million in Series A funding round. The news is a positive sign for freelancers who want access to career-boosting clients and projects.
The company’s case studies are proof of that.
Take for example Louise, a fractional CMO who worked with two other freelancers who would help increase Insurtech Sprout.ai’s Marketing Quality Leads (MQLs) by 160%.
Sprout.ai was introduced to Passionfruit and within 3 days they were matched with Louise. She had previously set up marketing functions from scratch and “scaled businesses to unicorn status” so she was the perfect fit.
Marketing audit
To begin with, Louise conducted a marketing audit where she reviewed all previous marketing activities and marketing channels used. This allowed Louise to understand what was working, what wasn’t, what the challenges were, and where the opportunities lay.
“From there, Louise devised a clear strategy made up of 4 pillars; brand awareness, generating an inbound funnel, lead generation programmes, and establishing clear systems and processes,” according to Passionfruit.
Content creation
Louise partnered with Pascale, a content specialist, to boost the client’s brand awareness through an “always on” content strategy. Pascale dedicated 1.5 days per week to consistently produce engaging blogs and guides. This resulted in increased website traffic, established the client as a thought leader in their industry, and significantly enhanced their PR and media presence.
Website re-design
The website needed to be re-designed to be mobile-friendly and increase brand awareness and inbound leads. Dario – a website expert – was brought onto the project and coordinated with Pascale, who wrote the copy for the new site.
For the inbound funnel, Sprout.ai, was using HubSpot but reportedly “not using it effectively”, according to Passionfruit:
Louise improved this HubSpot useage] by building email nurture flows to move marketing-qualified leads (MQL) to sales-qualified leads (SQL) quickly and regularly. In turn, this increased conversion rates. Louise also aligned the sales and marketing teams through clear communication and regular check-ins which was imperative for increasing conversions.
With a 160% increase in qualified leads, Sprout.ai was hitting marketing home runs left and right. The freelance marketing team crafted a winning game plan: catchy content, SEO magic, social media buzz, and laser-focused ads.
Case studies such as these demonstrate the power of fractional CMOs and the potential for significant growth when businesses embrace freelancers as a resource.
What will Passionfruit do with its funding?
The latest round was led by First Round Capital, but existing investors such as Collaborative Fund and Craft Ventures also took part. This latest investment brings the company’s total funding to $12.5 million since it was founded in 2021.
The recruitment platform has a community of over 100,000 freelancers who have served 10,000 businesses. With the new funding, Passionfruit plans to accelerate its growth by expanding its product offerings, enhancing its platform features, and scaling its operations.
The company also aims to deepen its engagement with the freelance community, providing resources and support to empower independent professionals to thrive in growing their businesses.
Are you a freelancer or client who has worked with Passionfruit?
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