What Croux does

Croux Inc. is a Birmingham, Alabama-based operator of an AI-powered two-sided marketplace that connects hourly hospitality and event workers with businesses needing flexible shift coverage. Founded in 2021 by a team of hospitality veterans, restaurant operators, and engineers, the platform serves bars, restaurants, hotels, convention centers, country clubs, stadiums, catering firms, and light-industrial operators across the Southeast and Midwest United States. The mobile app (iOS and Android) lets workers browse and self-onboard for shifts, while businesses post openings through a web portal at app.croux.co or via an enterprise Request Demo motion.

The platform's technical core is a proprietary Trust Score algorithm that evaluates 63 quality signals per match — including trust scores, certifications, proximity, and past shift performance — to rank candidates from a base of 31,000+ active workers. A second proprietary component, TARA, is an AI voice agent that conducts talent intake, screening conversations, and profile enhancement, collecting structured signals about skills, availability, and experience. Background screening is handled through Checkr (with a 10-year lookback), payments and payouts run on Stripe Connect with auto-pay within 24 hours of clock-out, GPS check-in enforces shift compliance, and the Croux Cares program (powered by Avibra) layers a $1/week benefits offering onto the worker experience.

Croux monetizes through a hybrid model: a location-based subscription/membership fee per business operation, a service fee on each shift payment (where businesses set the hourly rate), a Direct Hire Fee of $2,000 (or $1,000 for workers with 200+ hours of history) if a business hires a worker directly within six months, and a Late Cancellation Fee of up to 50% of shift value for cancellations inside 24 hours. The company reports processing more than $5 million in payments across tens of thousands of shifts, serving 100+ businesses, achieving a 90% fill rate and a 96% show-up rate, and operating in seven cities with announced expansion into Florida. Investors include TitletownTech (Green Bay Packers + Microsoft), the Benson Family (New Orleans Saints & Pelicans), HearstLab, Halogen Ventures, and Innovate Alabama, with cumulative disclosed funding of approximately $1.15 million.

Name

Croux

Legal name

Croux Inc.

Website

https://croux.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Croux is an AI-powered two-sided marketplace that connects vetted hourly hospitality and event workers with businesses needing flexible shift coverage across the Southeast and Midwest U.S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Staffing Marketplace

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Guest Experience & Engagement (CRM, Messaging, Loyalty) (THALACAF)

Keywords

• Hospitality staffing marketplace
• On-demand shift matching
• Flexible workforce platform
• Event labor staffing
• Gig worker matching

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Service Fee on Shift Payments: Croux charges a service fee on all shift payments processed through the platform. Business users pay for hours worked at rates they set, with Croux adding a transparent service fee on top. All charges include a service fee; Croux reserves the right to change the service fee at any time.
2. Business Subscription/Membership Fee: Business users are required to pay an ongoing membership/subscription fee for each location or unique operation that Croux supports. Subscriptions are auto-renewing, and Croux provides 30 days notice of any rate increase. This provides recurring subscription revenue per business location.
3. Direct Hire Fee: If a business user or its affiliates hires a talent directly within six months of the talent last performing work for that business user, a Direct Hire Fee of $2,000 (or $1,000 for talent with at least 200 hours worked with that business user) is charged. This serves as a monetization lever to retain workers on the platform.
4. Late Cancellation Fee: Business users who cancel a shift within 24 hours of its scheduled start time are charged a Late Cancellation Fee equal to the lesser of 50% of the total value of the scheduled shift or 4 hours of talent pay at the applicable hourly rate. Early Release Fees also apply when businesses dismiss talent before scheduled end time.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Croux operates a two-sided online marketplace that connects hospitality and event businesses (hotels, restaurants, bars, convention centers, country clubs, stadiums) with vetted, background-checked gig workers for on-demand shift work. The platform uses a proprietary Trust Score algorithm (evaluating 63 quality signals) and AI matching to fill shifts in approximately four hours with a reported 90% fill rate and less than 2% no-show rate, handling the full lifecycle from posting, AI matching, GPS check-in, and time tracking to Stripe-powered auto-payment within 24 hours of shift completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Croux Hospitality Staffing Marketplace Platform Core two-sided marketplace that connects hospitality and event businesses (hotels, restaurants, bars, convention centers, country clubs, stadiums) with vetted, background-checked gig workers for on-demand shift work. Includes AI matching, Trust Score ranking, GPS check-in, time tracking, and Stripe auto-payment, with businesses paying a location-based subscription plus per-shift service fee.
• Croux Mobile App (iOS and Android) Self-serve mobile application for hospitality talent to browse shifts, receive AI-matched shift invitations, complete GPS check-in/clock-out, and get paid via Stripe Connect within 24 hours. Includes TARA AI voice agent for profile intake and Trust Score profile.
• Croux for Desktop (Business Web Portal) Web application for businesses to post shifts, browse matched candidates, manage recurring shifts, run reports with pagination and date-range filters, and track tips sent to talent. Designed for enterprise and mid-market operators with multi-location needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% shift fill rate
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Giving KitchencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Giving Kitchen is a national nonprofit that provides emergency assistance to food service workers in crisis, having served over 12,500 workers and awarded over $8.5 million in assistance. Croux partnered with Giving Kitchen as a referral source for talent acquisition, with talent signing up via Giving Kitchen receiving a $50 bonus for their first shift and $100 for their fifth shift. Giving Kitchen called Croux a 'great addition to our catalog of preventative Stability Network resources' because it offers financial stability via flexible work opportunities.
• AvibracoreTechnology or IntegrationAvibra is the technology provider powering Croux Cares, Croux's exclusive benefits program for talent. Avibra provides access to free and low-cost health and well-being protections including complimentary life and AD&D insurance, counseling services, prescription discounts, and optional dental, vision, critical illness, and accident medical coverage — all available for $1 per week. Avibra's enterprise platform is designed for gig platforms and fintechs to unlock basic safety-net benefits.
• CheckrcoreTechnology or IntegrationCheckr is Croux's background check provider, enabling identity verification and background screening with a 10-year lookback for all platform talent. This partnership ensures the 'peace of mind' that all Croux talent have no history of theft or violent crimes, supporting the Trust Score system and business customer confidence.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe provides payment processing services for Croux. Business users onboard as Stripe customers and attach a payment method, while talent onboard as Stripe Connect vendors with a bank account or debit card. Upon shift completion, payment is made to talent's Stripe Account within 24 hours of clock-out confirmation. Stripe processes all payment disputes and fee collections.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Qwick: Qwick is a hospitality-focused staffing marketplace connecting restaurants, hotels, and event venues with vetted FOH/BOH workers on demand. Closest direct competitor to Croux in the hospitality and events vertical.
• Snagajob: Snagajob is a long-standing hourly work marketplace connecting job seekers with hospitality, retail, and food service employers. Comparable business model and target customer base as Croux, though more focused on permanent placement than on-demand shifts.
• Clipboard Health: Clipboard Health runs a marketplace connecting pre-vetted nurses and allied healthcare workers to facility shifts, with growing hospitality exposure. Overlaps with Croux's marketplace model, AI matching, and per-shift take rate economics.
• Bluecrew: Bluecrew (acquired by IAC/Hinge) operated a W-2 on-demand staffing marketplace focused on hospitality, warehouse, and events. Closely comparable model to Croux with similar target verticals and shift-based fulfillment.
• ShiftKey: ShiftKey is a shift-matching marketplace primarily serving healthcare and hospitality facilities. Competes with Croux on the hospitality side with similar self-serve worker onboarding, facility-side shift posting, and direct-hire monetization.
• Wonolo: Wonolo is a general on-demand staffing marketplace with significant hospitality and event staffing exposure. Competes with Croux for the same business customers and worker pool with similar AI-driven matching and same-day fulfillment.
• Instawork: Instawork operates a two-sided marketplace connecting vetted hourly workers with hospitality, retail, and warehouse shifts. Directly competes with Croux in hospitality staffing via a mobile app with similar shift-posting and AI matching mechanics.
• Pared: Pared operates a marketplace connecting restaurants and hospitality venues with experienced servers, bartenders, and dishwashers for on-demand shifts. Directly comparable to Croux in target market, customer type, and worker profile.

Emerging players

• JobGet: JobGet is a mobile-first hourly job marketplace with some hospitality and event exposure. Less specialized than Croux in hospitality but competes for the same hourly worker demographic and small business customers.

Broad incumbents

• Indeed Flex: Indeed Flex is the staffing marketplace arm of Indeed/Recruit, operating across hospitality, retail, and warehousing. Broader scope and significantly more capital than Croux but directly competes for hospitality shift volume.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/80749668
• Xx.com/joincroux
• Facebookfacebook.com/joincroux

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Croux