Unifreelancer.com

Client Overview:

UniFreelancer is a university-anchored freelance marketplace connecting students and alumni with clients. The platform includes UniFreelancer Academy for courses, coaching, and certifications to ensure freelancers are career-ready.

Challenge:

Validate marketplace demand on a tight two-week launch goal while building trust through shared university affiliation. Enable low-friction onboarding for students and businesses, support multiple engagement models, and keep the MVP scope lean before investing in deeper UI/UX or custom features before demo day.

Solution:

• Launched a lean MVP on Sharetribe with Extend to allow rapid iteration.
• Set up platform branding, static/landing pages, and user profiles for students and businesses.
• Implemented three listing types and transaction flows:
  1. Business listings to collect student interest and close manually.
  2. Student listings with fixed pricing for digital product sales.
  3. Student listings with variable pricing for negotiated engagements.
• Chose a commission-based model on successful transactions; no subscriptions at MVP.
• Trained admins on profile attributes, listing fields, and Sharetribe consoles to self-manage.
• Laid foundations for UniFreelancer Academy content and a light community layer to support credibility and engagement.

Results:

• Configured and prepared the MVP for launch aligned to the two-week goal, with core listing flows working end-to-end.
• Enabled onboarding of initial student and business users; admins can manage profiles and listings without engineering help.
• Established a clear path to expand: Academy courses, community features, and optional UI/UX polish beyond the initial 50–70 hour range.

Technologies Used:

• Marketplace: Sharetribe + Sharetribe Extend
• Admin & CMS: Sharetribe consoles (profiles, listings, transactions)