Upshift
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersCincinnati, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Upshift firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Upshift
- Legal name
- Upshift
- Website
- https://upshift.work
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Upshift industry classification
Industry- Product category
- On-Demand Staffing Services
- NAICS
- Temporary Help Services (561320), Temporary Help Services (56132), Employment Services (5613)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Workforce Time, Attendance & Scheduling Administration (BPAAAIAI)
Keywords
Where Upshift is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cincinnati
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices18 records
Markets served
Upshift business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Business Success Fee: Upshift charges businesses a flat percentage markup on top of the worker's hourly rate after successful completion of a shift. This fee covers worker's compensation insurance, unemployment insurance, and employer taxes for every Upshifter.
- Temp-to-Hire Conversion: When businesses want to hire an Upshifter directly onto their payroll, they pay 50% of the remaining markup to convert. Conversion is free after 480 hours worked.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Markup Rate |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Temp-to-Hire Conversion |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Upshift product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Upshift is a W-2 on-demand staffing platform that connects businesses with pre-vetted hourly workers across hospitality, events, manufacturing, warehousing, and food service industries. Businesses post shifts on the platform and Upshift matches them with background-checked, E-verified Upshifters who are classified as W-2 employees of Upshift (not contractors), receiving benefits such as health, dental, and vision insurance. The platform supports same-day shift posting, AI-powered matching, dedicated account management for enterprise clients, and a temp-to-perm (Upshift-to-Hire) conversion pathway.
Product overview
Upshift operates as a unified staffing platform connecting businesses with pre-vetted hourly workers through web and mobile applications. The platform serves two distinct audiences: job seekers (Upshift for People) who access flexible work opportunities across hospitality, events, manufacturing, and other industries, and businesses (Upshift for Business) that post shifts and hire workers. Workers are W-2 employees of Upshift, not contractors. The Upshift-to-Hire add-on enables businesses to evaluate workers during temporary shifts before converting them to direct hires. The platform is distinguished by its selective vetting process (only 12% acceptance rate), strict no-show policies (lifetime suspension for no-calls), and high return rates (91%+). Upshift also operates in the DeFi/crypto space with products like earnXRP and MXRPY vault for XRP yield generation, separate from its core staffing operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Upshift Staffing Platform A web and mobile staffing platform with separate interfaces for businesses (post shifts, manage scheduling, hire workers) and workers (browse shifts, clock in/out, track earnings). Powers the core offering across hotels, events, catering, warehousing, manufacturing, and senior living.
- Upshift-to-Hire A temp-to-perm conversion program that lets businesses evaluate workers during temporary shifts before moving them onto the business's own payroll. Conversion is free after 480 hours worked; otherwise, 50% of remaining markup applies.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95.6% job success rate vs 42% industry average
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Upshift
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Upshift technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Upshift partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- MonarqcoreLaunched MXRPY, a managed multi-strategy XRP yield vault on Flare. Monarq and Flare collaborated with Upshift's institutional infrastructure to offer approximately 3-4% APY through hybrid structure combining on-chain DeFi with off-chain options and arbitrage.
- Flare NetworkcoreLaunched MXRPY vault built on Upshift's institutional infrastructure on Flare's blockchain. The vault allocates capital across three return engines including options trading via FalconX, market-neutral arbitrage using borrowed stablecoins, and Flare-native XRPFi applications.
- Securitize Fund ServicescorePartnership to deliver institutional-grade, audit-ready reporting infrastructure for onchain vaults. First application of independent reporting, allocation tracking, and performance transparency tools to blockchain-based digital asset containers. Securitize will provide independent performance reporting, investor-level allocation transparency, and full reconciliation of complex onchain and protocol-level activity for Upshift's curators and depositors.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Upshift competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Veryable: On-demand labor platform for warehousing, manufacturing, and distribution that matches businesses with vetted workers for daily shifts. Highly comparable in shift-based fulfillment model, warehouse/manufacturing vertical focus, and emphasis on returning workers.
- ShiftMed: On-demand W-2 healthcare staffing platform with a marketplace model for shift work and a comparable 'returning worker' emphasis. While healthcare-focused, its W-2 employer model and per-shift markup economics closely mirror Upshift's staffing structure.
- Qwick: Hospitality and foodservice staffing marketplace connecting restaurants, hotels, caterers, and event venues with qualified hourly workers. Direct overlap with Upshift's primary hospitality and events/catering segments and a similar app-based shift-matching approach.
- Instawork: On-demand staffing marketplace connecting businesses with hourly workers in hospitality, warehouse, and events. Directly comparable W-2 model, similar target verticals, and the same shift-based transaction revenue approach — only at much larger geographic scale and with substantially more venture funding.
- Bluecrew: W-2 on-demand staffing platform for warehouse, logistics, and light-industrial roles with a similar employer-of-record model and app-based shift matching. Closely aligned on target verticals and revenue mechanics.
- Wonolo: On-demand staffing platform for hourly and light-industrial roles with a similar two-sided marketplace model and temp-to-perm offering. Comparable customer base spanning hospitality, warehouse, and manufacturing, and a similar pricing structure of markup on worker bill rates.
- Indeed Flex: Indeed's hourly-shift staffing marketplace that connects workers to hospitality, warehouse, and industrial jobs. Direct competitor across Upshift's core verticals, with the structural advantage of Indeed's underlying marketplace and applicant flow — and notably, Indeed is also an Upshift investor.
- JobGet: Mobile-first hourly job marketplace connecting job seekers with employers for immediate work, with an emphasis on shift-based and gig-style roles. Comparable two-sided mobile model and target demographic of hourly workers.
Emerging players
- Clipboard Health: Shift marketplace for healthcare facilities with a similar marketplace-based, app-driven approach and W-2 worker classification. While focused on nursing rather than hospitality, its operational mechanics and per-shift take-rate model parallel Upshift's.
- Staffing Engine: AI-powered platform helping staffing agencies automate candidate engagement and matching. Adjacent to Upshift's AI-matching capability but operates as B2B SaaS for traditional agencies rather than a direct shift marketplace — useful comparison for AI-driven matching economics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Upshift social profiles
Digital presenceUpshift financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Upshift leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Upshift funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Upshift M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Upshift
What does Upshift do?
Upshift is a W-2 on-demand staffing platform that connects businesses with pre-vetted hourly workers across hospitality, events, manufacturing, warehousing, and food service industries. Businesses post shifts on the platform and Upshift matches them with background-checked, E-verified Upshifters who are classified as W-2 employees of Upshift (not contractors), receiving benefits such as health, dental, and vision insurance. The platform supports same-day shift posting, AI-powered matching, dedicated account management for enterprise clients, and a temp-to-perm (Upshift-to-Hire) conversion pathway.
Is Upshift a public or private company?
Upshift is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Upshift founded?
Upshift was founded in 2016. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Upshift based?
Upshift is headquartered in Cincinnati, United States, in the North America region.
How does Upshift make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Business Success Fee is the primary driver. The others are temp-to-Hire Conversion.
Who are Upshift's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Veryable, ShiftMed, Qwick, Instawork, Bluecrew, Wonolo, Indeed Flex and JobGet. Emerging players are Clipboard Health and Staffing Engine.
Does Upshift have an API?
No public API is recorded for Upshift.
What industry is Upshift in?
Upshift's product category is On-Demand Staffing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAAAIAI, Workforce Time, Attendance & Scheduling Administration. Its NAICS code is 561320 and its SIC code is 7361.