Malt Strategy

Malt operates as a prominent European marketplace connecting freelance professionals with a wide array of companies, from small and medium-sized businesses to large corporate enterprises. Founded in 2013 by Vincent Huguet, Hugo Lassiège, and Jean-Baptiste Lemée, the company, originally named Hopwork, was established to create a more direct and transparent link between businesses and independent talent. Vincent Huguet, with a background in e-commerce, serves as co-CEO, while Hugo Lassiège, a former freelance developer, is the CTO. The platform was designed to treat freelancers as key stakeholders, a departure from the traditional agency model which often prioritizes clients.

The company's business model is primarily transactional, generating revenue by taking a commission from the total project cost for each successfully completed job on the platform. The fee, typically ranging from 5% to 10% for businesses, is structured to incentivize long-term collaboration, with rates decreasing after three months of continuous work with the same client. Malt also offers premium services to corporate clients, providing personalized support and advanced platform functionalities to streamline the search and hiring process. This dual-commission approach, along with services like 'Malt Care' which offers freelancers benefits such as insurance and training, diversifies its revenue streams.

In March 2022, Malt significantly expanded its service portfolio by acquiring Comatch, a leading European marketplace for independent management consultants and industry experts. Comatch was founded in 2014 by Dr. Christoph Hardt and Dr. Jan Schächtele, both former McKinsey consultants who identified a need for a more professional and transparent market for freelance consultants. This acquisition integrated Comatch's curated network of over 15,000 consultants into Malt's ecosystem, rebranding it as 'Malt Strategy'. The move solidified Malt's position in the high-end consulting segment, enabling it to serve 80% of the CAC-40 and DAX-40 listed companies and creating Europe's most comprehensive network for high-skilled independent professionals.

The platform serves as a central hub for the entire engagement process. Companies can search a community of over 800,000 freelancers, review their profiles and past work, and communicate directly to find the right expertise for their projects. For freelancers, Malt provides tools to manage administrative tasks, secure payments, and gain visibility to a client base of over 70,000 companies. The platform's features include AI-powered matching algorithms, project management tools, and a secure payment system that handles invoicing and contracts, allowing freelancers to focus on their core work.

Keywords: freelance marketplace, independent consultants, management consulting, project-based work, freelancer management, talent acquisition, business consulting, digital transformation, expert network, B2B services, freelance platform, interim management, tech freelancers, creative freelancers, Comatch, high-skilled freelancers, European marketplace, contingent workforce, future of work, on-demand talent, project staffing, freelance economy, expert services, consulting marketplace