Jyve Corporation

Jyve Corporation operates as a business optimization platform and talent marketplace, connecting consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands and retailers with a certified, on-demand workforce. Founded in 2015 by Bradford Oberwager, Cammy Bergren, James Kairos, and Sam Purtill, the San Francisco-based company was established to address inefficiencies in in-store retail execution. Oberwager's experience leading Bare Snacks, which was later acquired by PepsiCo, highlighted the challenge for smaller brands to compete with the extensive in-store merchandising teams of larger corporations like Frito-Lay.

The company's core offering is its "Skills-as-a-Service" Jyve Partner Platform™, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that uses machine learning to match the in-store needs of businesses with skilled independent contractors known as "Jyvers". This model is designed to solve the high turnover and understaffing problems common in the retail sector. The platform allows clients to post various in-store jobs, which Jyvers can then claim and complete through a mobile application. Services offered through the platform include merchandising, shelf stocking, display building, brand ambassadorship, shelf compliance audits, e-commerce order fulfillment, and inventory management. This provides CPG brands and retailers, including major grocers like Safeway and WinCo, a flexible and scalable workforce to manage in-store execution.

Revenue is generated by facilitating these connections and tasks. As Jyvers complete tasks, they document their work with photos and comments, which are reviewed by a combination of store managers, brand managers, and Jyve's own quality control system that includes machine vision algorithms. This process provides clients with real-time, data-driven insights into on-the-ground performance and shelf conditions. The platform features a tiered system where workers start with simpler tasks and can unlock higher-paying, more complex jobs as they demonstrate proficiency, fostering skill development. Since its inception, Jyve has raised a total of $51.6 million in funding over seven rounds from investors including SignalFire, Crosscut Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, and 7GC. In July 2024, Acosta Group, a major sales and marketing agency, completed its acquisition of Crossmark and Product Connections, though details on Jyve's relationship post-acquisition are not specified.

Keywords: on-demand labor, gig economy, retail execution, CPG merchandising, skills-as-a-service, in-store operations, talent marketplace, retail technology, business optimization, brand ambassadorship, shelf auditing, e-commerce fulfillment, grocery tech, workforce management, retail analytics, planogram compliance, display building, inventory management, retail staffing, flexible workforce