Airtasker is the new TaskRabbit-style app coming to London

Australian-based Airtasker launched in 2012 but this is the first time it's expanding overseas 
Taskers can be paid to pick up your parcels or wait in line for tickets
Airtasker
Amelia Heathman12 March 2018

If you’ve ever needed to pay someone to queue for Hamilton tickets for you, a new app Airtasker wants to be the one to make that happen.

Launching in the UK today, Airtasker is Australia’s largest local services marketplace. It connects people and businesses with members of the local community who can earn money on the side with tasks.

The start-up has been on the scene since 2012 and it employs around 165 people worldwide. However, London is the first market for Airtasker outside of its home country.

Airtasker’s CEO, Tim Fung, says he is excited for Londoners to discover Airtasker.

“The UK is really the ideal market for Airtasker and one of the main reasons we have chosen the UK as our first launch country is because of the huge market size.

“Whilst Aussies have been using Airtasker for a while now, we’re really excited to see how creative Brits can get – we’ve already seen Londoners warm to Airtasker with tasks like re-stringing a squash racket and sorting out a pub quiz – but we’re excited to see what tasks get posted next.”

So far, the company has raised A$67 million (£37.9 million) in funding, acquiring competitors like TaskBox along the way.

The on-demand economy writ large

Airtasker is a clear example of the on-demand economy, also known as the gig economy. Can’t get something done yourself? Then pay a stranger on the internet to do it for you.

The app’s proposition is a similar one to the idea proposed by TaskRabbit, a US-based company which launched in 2013 and was acquired by the furniture giant Ikea last year for an undisclosed amount. When it was sold in September, it had over 60,000 independent contractors using its platform.

Airtasker says it wants to help busy Londoners get stuff done, whether that's getting a so-called tasker, the person you pay to do something for you, to colour coordinate your wardrobe or assemble your flat-pack furniture. However this was the reason Ikea acquired TaskRabbit in first place, and Airtasker will have its work cut out if it wants to compete with the US app in that area.

However with 13,000 taskers already signed up in London, Airtasker has every reason to be confident.

The Guardian reports it has spent about £20 million bringing Airtasker to the UK; it now needs to prove it can offer these connections between people willing to pay for a task, and those willing to do them.

You can download Airtasker for free on Android.

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