Francesca Chia left her stable job as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group to enter the world of entrepreneurship. Having witnessed the rise of gig platforms in the West, she was inspired to bring a similar solution to Malaysia. In 2014, she and her two co-founders created GoGet, an on-demand marketplace that connects businesses and consumers with verified gig workers, called GoGetter.

GoGet has set up a vast network of GoGetters that are able to assist with jobs that range from logistics, administration and operations. The platform now has 250,000 users that includes companies such as e-commerce giant Lazada, telco Yoodo and online fashion retailer Fashion Valet. The gig platform has a network of over 20,000 GoGetters amid a surge in demand for flexible work arrangements.

When Covid-19 hit the world in 2020 and resulted in lockdowns across Malaysia, Chia was busy on-boarding many new GoGetters who were in search of jobs and a new source of income. In the span of one weekend, GoGet had helped train the equivalent of a regular month’s worth of new GoGetters. GoGet’s efforts were recognised as they closed a Seed Round and a Series A funding of US$2 million in 2020 alone.

The Northwestern University graduate’s vision for GoGet goes beyond providing gig-workers an opportunity to earn some income on the side. She aims to help them build up their connections and find employers to give them jobs regularly. GoGet also offers special training sessions to allow GoGetters to upskill and be more financially literate, so they can better manage their income.