The group's newest participant just launched with $ 11 million in funding

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Thanks to the rise of gambling economy, people can "Be their own bosses" by running for Uber ( UBER ) or Lyft ( LYFT ), and freelancing their skills at Fiverr ( FVRR ) or hiring out their homes with Airbnb ̵[ads1]1; the latest player in the transient work phenomenon is trying to expand those opportunities into the sales world. "data-reactid =" 11 "> Thanks to the gig economy's rise, people can" be their own bosses "by running for Uber ( UBER) or Lyft (LYFT), freelance their skills at Fiverr (FVRR) or rent out their homes with Airbnb. The latest player in the short-term work phenomenon is trying to expand the opportunities in the sales world.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Monday announced & nbsp; Drum & nbsp; the $ 11 million seed funding launch, the funding round included participation from Propel Venture Partners, Felicis Ventures, BlueRun Ventures, American Express Ventures, GroTech Ventures, Wildcat Venture Partners, BoxGroup and SV Angel. after the early funding round. "data-reactid =" 12 "> On Monday, Drum announced the $ 11 million seed funding launch. The funding round included participation from Propel Venture Partners, Felicis Ventures, BlueRun Ventures, American Express Ventures, GroTech Ventures, Wildcat Venture Partners, BoxGroup and SV Angel. The company refused to give its valuation after the early financing round.

Drum is a mobile platform that helps businesses acquire customers through individuals the company calls "drummers", or users who sign up to work as temporary sellers promoting promotions from a given Company.

Drummers constitute the beating heart of the business and are paid on commission for their work, with Drum making money by taking part of this. Around 40% of the commission a business puts per sale will go to the drummer, an additional 20% will be shared between users who have helped bring that drummer and business to the platform, and a further 20% will be the tariff rate for Drum.

Atlanta-based drum will initially be launched in Georgia and New York. Buyers will be able to start using the platform and redeem offers that drummers sell to them from mid-October.

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<p class = "canvas atom canvas text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) –sm Mt (0.8 em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The company was born of the experiences of the three co-founders, Rob Frohwein, Kathryn Petralia and Troy Deus: Both Frohwein and Petralia were co-Founder of Softbank Support ( SFTBY ) startup Kabbage, which provides financing opportunities for small businesses, which saw a need for these companies to find a way to establish and track a lean sales force. "data-reactid =" 27 "> The company was born from the experiences of the three co-founders, Rob Frohwein, Kathryn Petralia and Troy Deus: Both Frohwein and Petralia were co-founders of Softbank-supported (SFTBY) startup Kabbage, which provides financing opportunities for small businesses, who saw a need for these companies to find a way to establish and track a lean sales force.

The pain point Drum seeks to solve is multifaceted: The platform is trying to give businesses a new opportunity to acquire customers, freelance a new means of earning time and sales power, and customers a new way to learn about and engage with businesses .

For companies, "They spend boatloads of money on advertising," Deus told Yahoo Finance in an interview. "You just cross your fingers and hope it turns into customers. Or you have to set up a sales force and that sales force can be very limited by the number of jobs and location. "

& # 39; Concierge & # 39;

<p class =" canvas-atom canvas text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em ) – sm "type =" text "content =" But if your business model sounds familiar, it's not just you. Deus said he often heard his company conflict with Groupon ( GRPN ), the e-commerce marketplace that connects users to deals from an eclectic palette of merchants. A platform called & nbsp; Swarm Sales & nbsp; associate businesses with a global community of sales professionals. But Deus said the drum takes a different approach, with each contracted drummer as a "concierge" of the company's goods and services. "data-reactid =" 31 "> But if the business model sounds familiar, it's not just you. Deus said he has often heard his company come into conflict with Groupon (GRPN), the e-commerce marketplace that connects users to deals from a an eclectic palette of salespeople. A platform called Swarmsales links businesses to a global community of salespeople. But Deus said that Drum takes a different approach, and each of the contracted drummers acts as a "porter" for business goods and services.

What we provide is this curated experience where these drummers are going out there, they believe in these businesses, ”he said. "They try these products and services, and they surf the backups of people when they need them, and that's relevant to them."

<p class = "canvas atom canvas text Mb (1.0 em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The drum's launch comes in the wake of a rocky years for the performance of other gig finance companies, which rely on independent contract employees to perform services through transactions simplified through a broader software company. A & nbsp; recent Gallup study found & more than a third of US workers were involved in a type of gaming job in some capacity – and new companies like Drum are betting that this type of setup still has legs. "data-reactid =" 33 "> Drum's launch comes in the wake of a rocky year for the performance of others gig finance companies, which rely on independent contractors to provide services through transactions simplified through a wider software company. A recent Gallup study found that more than a third of American workers were involved in a type of gaming job in some capacity – and new companies like Drum are betting that this type of setup still has legs.

<p class = "canvas – atom canvas text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Recently, the gaming job has transitioned from the labor market development du jour to an area of ​​investigation, with staff classification & nbsp; coming into question at the time of the signing of Assembly Bill 5 in California this month. & nbsp; (Drum, with its first launch in Georgia and New York , and would be isolated from this legislation. And Deus told Yahoo Finance that he thinks drummers won't classify as employees under the legislation's three-step test, anyway. "data-reactid =" 34 "> Recently, the gaming economy has shifted from labor market development to an area with scrutiny, and employee ratings were questioned about the adoption of Assembly Bill 5 in California just this month. (Drum, with its first launch in Georgia and New York, would be isolated from this legislation. And Deus told Yahoo Finance that he thinks drummers won't classify as employees under the three-tier legislative test, anyway.)

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