Airwork

What Airwork does

Airwork is a Toronto-headquartered on-demand labor marketplace that connects businesses with pre-vetted blue collar workers for shift-based engagements. Founded in 2021 and part of the Y Combinator W22 cohort, the company operates across three metropolitan markets: the Greater Toronto Area, the Greater Ottawa Area, and the Greater Houston Area. Target verticals include warehousing and logistics, manufacturing, events and hospitality, construction, facility services, commercial printing, and self-storage, with named customers spanning Tesla, the Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto Pearson Airport, Yorkdale Mall, and a long tail of small and mid-market businesses across coatings, food and beverage, detailing, and event rentals.

The product is a mobile-first, two-sided marketplace. Companies sign up and post shifts through the self-serve web platform at app.airwork.io, while workers browse and book shifts via iOS and Android apps. Core technology components include an automated matching and notification engine, a proprietary Auto-Backfill system that reopens cancelled shifts to all eligible workers to maintain fill rates, and a Stripe Instant Payouts integration enabling same-day worker pay within 30 minutes for workers banked at CIBC, Scotiabank, TD, or RBC. The supply-side vetting pipeline combines resume filtering, Zoom interviews, English-fluency and instruction-following assessment, and certification checks, with the company positioning the resulting worker pool as the top 5% of applicants. Reported operational metrics include a 98.5% shift fill rate, a 2-hour average fill time, a 90% worker re-request rate, and a 99% backfill success rate for users of the Rotation model. Backed by Y Combinator, Village Global, EXPA, SHL Capital, and Eight Capital, the company is led by Founder and CEO Gary Lin (Forbes 30 Under 30 Toronto, 2024; ex-Facebook, Yelp, NVIDIA software engineer) and operates with a team of approximately ten people.

Airwork's revenue model is a 30% take rate on worker hourly wages billed monthly to companies, with two ancillary revenue streams: a $3,000 conversion fee when a company hires an Airworker as a full-time employee (waived after 500 billable platform hours), and tiered late cancellation fees (50% if cancelled 12–24 hours before a shift, 100% if less than 12 hours). The 30% fee is positioned as all-inclusive, covering worker sourcing, vetting, background checks, and workplace safety insurance (WSIB in Ontario; OSHA in the US), and is structured as a transparent alternative to the 50–100%+ markups charged by traditional staffing agencies. Go-to-market is product-led self-serve for SMBs and mid-market accounts, supplemented by direct email and phone support for enterprise onboarding. The company has not disclosed revenue, ARR, GMV, or valuation figures.

Name

Airwork

Legal name

Airwork Software Inc.

Website

https://airworkhq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Airwork is a Toronto-based on-demand labor marketplace connecting businesses with pre-vetted blue collar workers across warehousing, manufacturing, events, hospitality, and construction. Operating in Toronto, Ottawa, and Houston, the platform automates shift posting, matching, and Stripe-powered payroll.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Staffing Marketplace

NAICS

Temporary Help Services (56132)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Light Industrial & Warehouse Temp Staffing (BPACACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Independent Contractor Compliance & Classification (IC vs Employee) (BPACAGAA)

Keywords

• On-demand staffing
• Labor marketplace
• Blue collar hiring
• Temp workforce platform
• Gig economy staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Platform Commission: Airwork charges a flat 30% platform fee on top of the hourly wage of workers. This fee covers worker sourcing, vetting, background checks, workplace safety insurance (WSIB, OSHA), and payment processing fees. Companies are billed monthly and auto-charged to their corporate credit card.
2. Conversion Fee: Companies that want to hire an Airworker as a full-time employee pay a $3,000 conversion fee if they have used less than 500 billable hours on the platform. If 500+ billable hours, conversion is free.
3. Shift Cancellation Fees: Late cancellation fees apply when companies cancel shifts: 50% charge if cancelled 12-24 hours prior, 100% charge if cancelled less than 12 hours prior.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Airwork operates an on-demand labor marketplace that connects businesses with pre-vetted blue-collar independent contractors for individual shifts. Companies post shifts via a self-serve web platform, workers book shifts via iOS and Android apps, and Airwork handles vetting, automated matching, scheduling, payroll, and bundled workplace insurance (WSIB/OSHA). The company charges a flat 30% platform fee on top of the worker's hourly wage.

Product overview

Airwork is an on-demand labor marketplace offering a single unified platform for companies to access pre-vetted blue collar workers. The product consists of the Airwork Platform (web-based business portal for companies to post shifts, manage workers, and handle payroll), the Airwork Mobile App (iOS/Android for workers to browse and book shifts), Stripe Instant Payouts (integrated payment feature for same-day worker compensation), and Airwork Auto-Backfill (automated cancellation handling). The platform operates across manufacturing, warehousing, construction, events, and hospitality sectors in the Greater Toronto Area, Greater Ottawa Area, and Greater Houston Area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Airwork Marketplace Platform (Web) Self-serve web-based business portal (app.airwork.io) where companies create accounts, post shifts, browse pre-v vetted workers, manage scheduling and time-tracking, and handle payment. The platform automates interviewing, scheduling, and payroll and targets the top 5% of the labor force with a 98.5% fill rate. It is intended for HR, operations, and facility managers at businesses in warehousing, manufacturing, construction, events, hospitality, and consumer services.
• Airwork Mobile App (iOS and Android) Native iOS and Android application for blue-collar workers to browse available shifts, book shifts instantly, manage their work schedule, and receive same-day payouts via Stripe Instant Payouts (within 30 minutes for workers banking at CIBC, Scotiabank, TD, and RBC).

Quantifiable outcome

• 98.5% shift fill rate
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe is the payment processor and payout infrastructure partner for Airwork. Workers receive payments through Stripe Instant Payouts, with workers at CIBC, Scotiabank, TD, and RBC eligible for 30-minute instant payouts. Stripe processes all payment transactions between companies and workers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Instawork: Direct competitor offering an on-demand marketplace connecting businesses with vetted hourly workers across hospitality, warehousing, and events. Operates in 50+ U.S. metros with significantly more capital raised (>$140M), making it the category leader Airwork most directly competes with.
• Wonolo: On-demand staffing platform connecting businesses with hourly workers for warehouse, hospitality, and event roles. Targets similar blue-collar verticals with a similar marketplace business model and worker-vetting approach.
• Qwick: Hospitality-focused on-demand staffing platform connecting food service businesses with vetted professionals (servers, bartenders, cooks). Directly comparable marketplace model with strong focus on shift-based staffing and instant payment features.
• Bluecrew: W-2 on-demand staffing platform focused on warehouse, distribution, and manufacturing roles. Targets the same blue-collar verticals as Airwork with a similar automated matching and shift-based fulfillment model.
• ShiftGig: Hospitality and events-focused on-demand staffing marketplace connecting businesses with pre-screened workers. Operates a similar two-sided model with shift-based booking and worker vetting, though more concentrated in hospitality.

Broad incumbents

• Adecco: Global staffing and workforce solutions leader with significant light industrial, warehouse, and logistics staffing business. Represents the traditional incumbent model Airwork is disrupting with technology and pricing transparency.
• ManpowerGroup: One of the world's largest staffing firms with deep presence in light industrial and warehouse staffing. Operates traditional staffing models with higher markups that Airwork competes against on price and fill-time.
• Robert Half: Large staffing and consulting firm with significant temporary placement business. While more white-collar focused, it has light industrial and administrative staffing offerings that overlap with Airwork's addressable market.
• TaskRabbit: General-purpose gig marketplace connecting consumers and businesses with task-based workers. Adjacent to Airwork in marketplace model, though more focused on home services and consumer tasks rather than blue-collar B2B staffing.

Emerging players

• GigSmart: On-demand labor marketplace connecting businesses with workers for warehouse, event, and general labor roles. Similar marketplace model and blue-collar focus, with comparable size and stage to Airwork.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AirworkHQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/AirworkHQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/AirworkHQ

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors5 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 Airwork