By Kim Nilsson, CEO

At Pivigo we pride ourselves on pushing the envelope of the data science sector. As we continue to grow and innovate, we’ve noticed the emergence of other innovative trends in commercial working practices. One trend that above all others has had the highest of profile is the Gig (or On-Demand) Economy (thanks Uber, Lyft, and Didi Chuxing!).

It is with this in mind that, on Tuesday, we were proud to announce the launch of the Pivigo marketplace: a new way for businesses to search for data science talent, and for talented data science freelancers to connect with commercial organisations.

The event was a huge success, with circa 100 industry leaders and influencers attending the Digital Catapult Centre in London to hear how Pivigo can help them meet their data science requirements.

We were lucky enough to have some high profile industry speakers, who spoke about how Pivigo has helped their businesses in providing data scientists to deliver technical projects and to define their data and analytics strategy.

We were treated to a fantastic presentation from Paul Ellis, Co-Founder and CEO of Electron, about Blockchain technology – the shared intelligence layer that was originally designed to bring transparency to Bitcoin transactions, but which now has applications way beyond Fintech.  The World Economic Forum in 2015 declared blockchain to be one of the six future mega trends for the next decade, a trend that will be powered by data scientists. Paul shared some of the challenges that his team of data scientists are working to overcome.

We also heard from Mike Bugembe, Chief Analytics Officer for Just Giving. He gave an inspiring presentation on how he has positioned data science at the core of Just Giving’s commercial strategy. We were extremely proud to hear him say how Pivigo has been instrumental in helping him build a team of statisticians and data scientists, who are now central to every operational and strategic decision for the organisation. His team have been uncovering new business opportunities, ensuring that Just Giving maintains its competitive advantage and building smart data centric products.

I am pleased to be involved with Pivigo and excited to be one of the first companies signed- up to use the marketplace for our data science project. Access to a hub like Pivigo’s marketplace is much needed in today’s workplace and it allows for flexibility when in-house resources may be limited. The new marketplace grants access to a world wide talent pool – creating options not previously available. (Mike Bugembe – CAO Just Giving)

Finally, I wrapped up the session on my vision for the Pivigo marketplace: a one-stop-shop for access to a world-wide data science talent pool. From ad-hoc projects to building an entire data science team, Pivigo can deliver. The concept will allow smaller companies that can’t afford to hire in-house data scientists, or expensive consulting firms, to connect with researchers on a project-by-project basis.

Companies will be able to post their requirements on the platform enabling data scientists to review the opportunities and then browse and apply to those projects they want to work on. Some will be short-term projects and others will be much longer, depending on businesses’ data needs and wants. The Pivigo team will also be able to allocate and help companies source the best talent for their data needs.

Businesses who are first to realise the power of data science have a first mover advantage. They gain the ability to apply previous inaccessible insights to increase sales, improve efficiency and save money. Not many businesses, however, have access to a team of data science experts from around the world. The on-demand marketplace we have created is the solution for any business who wants to use data science to grow and improve their overall performance.

We would like to thank everyone who attended the launch, especially our illustrious speakers. If you’d like to join them in the data science revolution, register now for Pivigo marketplace.