Meet the Masterminds: The Brains Behind Braintrust

Braintrust, the pioneering user-owned talent network, was co-founded by visionary entrepreneurs Adam Jackson and Gabriel Luna-Ostaseski. Together, they combined their extensive backgrounds in technology, entrepreneurship, and business innovation to build a decentralized platform that empowers freelancers and businesses alike.

Adam Jackson

Adam Jackson is a prominent entrepreneur and investor, recognized for his contributions to technology, decentralized networks, and telemedicine.  Jackson’s academic journey began at Vanderbilt University, where he pursued a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Economics. Currently, Jackson is the Founder and CEO of Freelance Labs, known for building Braintrust, a user-controlled talent platform. He has also held prominent roles as the former CEO and Co-Founder of Doctor On Demand, founder of Asymmetric Vineyards and more. (Adam Jackson)

Gabriel Luna-Ostaseski

Gabriel Luna-Ostaseski, Braintrust’s co-founder and former Chief Revenue Officer, is a seasoned entrepreneur and strategic investor. His experience spans over a decade of building and scaling companies, including his work at Modernize, a home improvement platform he co-founded and led for 15 years. Luna-Ostaseski’s investment experience at Upshift Partners and Upshift Capital has honed his understanding of growth strategies and value alignment in early-stage startups. (Gabriel Luna-Ostaseski)

Founding Story of Braintrust

In 2018, Jackson and Luna-Ostaseski identified inefficiencies in traditional hiring processes. They aimed to create a platform that connects skilled professionals directly with companies, eliminating intermediaries. This vision led to the creation of Braintrust, a user-owned talent network leveraging blockchain technology.

The platform emphasizes transparency, efficiency, and fairness in the hiring process. By utilizing blockchain, Braintrust ensures secure and direct connections between talent and organizations.Since its inception, Braintrust has grown into a global network. It serves various industries, including technology, design, and marketing. Companies like Nestlé, Porsche, Atlassian, Goldman Sachs, and Nike have utilized Braintrust to access qualified professionals for their projects. 

Smart Hires: How AI is the ‘Hire’ Power in Today’s Job Market

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming Human Resources (HR) by automating tasks, enhancing decision-making, and improving efficiency. In 2023, the global AI in HR market was valued at approximately USD 6.03 billion and is projected to reach USD 27.30 billion by 2033, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 16.30% from 2024 to 2033. (Precedence Research)

Applications of AI in HR

AI streamlines recruitment by automating resume screening and candidate matching, reducing time-to-hire and minimizing biases. It also enhances employee engagement through personalized learning and development programs, tailored to individual needs. AI-driven analytics provide insights into workforce trends, aiding in strategic planning and talent management.

Market Drivers

The demand for data-driven decision-making in HR propels AI adoption. Organizations seek to improve efficiency and employee experience, leading to increased investment in AI technologies. The rise of remote work and the need for virtual recruitment tools further accelerate this trend.

Challenges and Considerations

Despite benefits, AI in HR faces challenges like data privacy concerns and potential biases in AI algorithms. Ensuring ethical AI implementation and maintaining human oversight are crucial to address these issues.

AI’s role in HR is expected to expand, with advancements in natural language processing and machine learning leading to more sophisticated tools. The focus will be on integrating AI seamlessly into HR processes to enhance human capabilities rather than replace them. 

Mission Possible: Braintrust’s Blueprint for a Better Job Market

Mission

Braintrust’s mission is clear: to build products that help talent worldwide earn, learn, and grow. The company views talented individuals as valuable assets, not just costs, and aims to empower professionals by offering fair and transparent employment opportunities​. (About Braintrust)

Vision

Braintrust envisions a more equitable labor market where freelancers and professionals have control over their work and compensation. By decentralizing the hiring process and allowing talent to have a direct say, Braintrust promotes a user-owned ecosystem. The platform aspires to reshape hiring by offering a decentralized, user-governed marketplace where professionals are fairly compensated and have a voice in decision-making through the BTRST token, Braintrust’s governance token..

Problems They Solve

Traditional hiring methods involve intermediaries who drive up costs, reduce transparency, and extend the hiring process. Braintrust addresses these challenges by removing middlemen, enabling direct interaction between companies and skilled professionals. This approach significantly lowers hiring costs and shortens the time-to-hire. Additionally, Braintrust tackles common issues freelancers face, such as fair compensation and job security, by providing a decentralized platform where professionals have more control and transparency in their work.

Business Model

Braintrust operates as a decentralized, user-owned talent marketplace powered by blockchain technology. Unlike traditional platforms that charge high fees and commissions, Braintrust’s unique business model uses blockchain to ensure transparency and cost-efficiency. The platform charges a low 10% fee to employers, which covers operating expenses without cutting into talent earnings.

The BTRST token plays a crucial role in Braintrust’s business model, allowing users to earn, vote on governance issues, and participate in decision-making on the platform. This model promotes a self-sustaining ecosystem where users have both ownership and influence over Braintrust’s direction​.

A Full Brainwave: Exploring Braintrust’s Product Lineup

Braintrust stands out in the freelance marketplace for its innovative solutions and powerful features designed to transform how companies and freelancers interact. The platform provides a user-centric and cost-effective environment, with a focus on high-quality talent, blockchain-enabled transparency, and cutting-edge AI tools. Here’s a closer look at the core solutions and features Braintrust offers. (Solutions)

1. High-Quality Talent Pool

Braintrust prioritizes quality over quantity by carefully curating its talent network. The platform accepts only the top 2% of applicants, verifying skills, identity, and work history before they can engage with clients. This rigorous selection process ensures that companies gain access to elite professionals across fields such as software development, design, project management, and quality assurance, among others.

2. Blockchain-Based User-Owned Model

Unlike traditional platforms, Braintrust operates as a decentralized, user-owned network. Freelancers and clients are both stakeholders, and the platform is governed by the Braintrust Token (BTRST), an ERC-20 token on the Ethereum blockchain. This system gives freelancers ownership over their earnings and control over platform decisions through token-based governance. As a result, Braintrust eliminates the costly middleman fees typical in freelance platforms, allowing freelancers to keep 100% of their earnings while clients benefit from reduced costs.

3. Braintrust AIR – The AI Recruiter

One of the most innovative features of Braintrust is Braintrust AIR, an AI-powered recruiting tool that revolutionizes hiring processes. Braintrust AIR streamlines hiring by automating job posting, candidate matching, and initial screenings. The AI-driven matching engine instantly identifies the top candidates from a global talent pool of over a million members. Braintrust AIR even conducts asynchronous video interviews, grading candidates and providing scorecards, saving companies time and ensuring they focus only on the best-suited professionals.

4. Seamless Hiring and Management Tools

Braintrust simplifies every stage of hiring and management, offering an integrated system for finding, onboarding, and managing freelancers:

• AI Job Description Generator: This feature enables companies to quickly create optimized job postings that attract suitable candidates, streamlining the recruitment process.
• Instant AI Matching: The AI system matches clients with top five candidates within minutes, ensuring fast and precise matches for project needs.
• Global Compliance and Onboarding: Braintrust provides end-to-end support for hiring across 150+ countries, handling background checks, classification, and compliance for different employment types.

5. Financial and Payroll Management

Braintrust offers extensive payroll and payment services, including local currency options and automated management of invoices, payroll, and expenses. This feature is especially valuable for companies managing global teams, as it allows for seamless cross-border payments, automated reminders, and tracking functionalities. These tools reduce administrative burdens and ensure timely, efficient payments to freelancers worldwide.

6. Community and Professional Network

Braintrust extends its value beyond simple job matching by fostering a professional community where freelancers and clients can engage in mentorship, career advice, and industry discussions. Through the Braintrust Professional Network, freelancers gain access to a platform where they can seek guidance, share expertise, and build relationships that further their careers.

Braintrust’s solutions and features embody a forward-thinking approach to freelance marketplaces, delivering value through quality, technology, and user empowerment. By leveraging blockchain and AI, Braintrust has redefined the freelance economy, setting new standards for how talent and companies connect and collaborate.

The Technology Behind Braintrust: Revolutionizing the Freelance Marketplace

Braintrust is built on a sophisticated technological foundation that integrates blockchain, artificial intelligence, and a user-centric governance model. Its technology ecosystem not only ensures efficient hiring and freelance management but also empowers users through transparency, decentralization, and automation. Here’s a detailed look into the core technological components that drive Braintrust.

1. Blockchain-Enabled Decentralization and Governance

At the heart of Braintrust’s operations is the BTRST token, an ERC-20 token issued on the Ethereum blockchain. The BTRST token serves multiple functions within the platform:

• Ownership and Governance: Token holders can participate in decision-making processes, allowing freelancers and clients alike to vote on important platform changes. This decentralization aligns Braintrust with the interests of its users, fostering a self-sustaining, user-owned network.
• Incentivization Mechanism: BTRST tokens are awarded to users who contribute to the growth and maintenance of the platform by referring clients, onboarding new talent, or participating in community activities. This system incentivizes users to actively engage in expanding and improving Braintrust.

The token-based structure minimizes dependency on central authorities and ensures that value created by the network is shared with its community members, thus reducing transaction fees and operational costs typical of traditional freelance platforms. (BTRST)

2. Braintrust AIR: AI-Powered Recruitment and Matching

Braintrust leverages artificial intelligence through its Braintrust AIR feature, which automates and accelerates the hiring process. This AI system transforms traditional recruitment by:

• AI Job Matching: Braintrust AIR’s powerful matching engine scans a global talent pool of over one million professionals, instantly identifying the top five candidates for a given role. This rapid, precise matching saves time and ensures that companies connect with high-quality freelancers who meet their exact requirements.
• Automated Interviewing and Screening: Braintrust AIR can conduct and grade asynchronous video interviews. By handling initial candidate screenings, the AI drastically reduces the time companies spend on hiring and provides detailed scorecards to help make informed hiring decisions​. (Braintrust AIR)

These AI-driven features streamline recruitment, reducing hiring times and costs while enhancing decision-making accuracy.

3. End-to-End Management and Compliance Solutions

Braintrust provides comprehensive tools to manage the entire freelance engagement lifecycle. This all-in-one approach covers hiring, compliance, and payment, and is particularly valuable for companies operating in multiple countries. Key functionalities include:

• Global Compliance and EOR Services: Braintrust handles background checks, worker classification, and legal compliance across over 150 countries, ensuring that companies can hire contractors worldwide without facing regulatory challenges.
• Integrated Payroll and Payment System: The platform facilitates secure, global payments in local currencies and provides automated payroll, invoicing, and expense tracking. This feature simplifies financial transactions, especially for businesses managing an international freelance workforce​.

4. Security and Transparency

Using Ethereum’s blockchain technology, Braintrust ensures data integrity, transaction security, and transparent operations. Blockchain’s immutable nature supports an open, verifiable record of all transactions, instilling trust within the community. By leveraging smart contracts, Braintrust can automate tasks like payment disbursements and service agreements, further enhancing operational efficiency and reliability.

5. Community Engagement and Professional Network

Beyond technological features, Braintrust fosters a community-oriented network. Through its Professional Network, freelancers can access mentorship, industry insights, and career resources. This community-building initiative, supported by blockchain-based governance, strengthens user ties and enhances the platform’s ecosystem​.

Friends with Brain-efits: Building Bonds for a Better Network

The platform serves a diverse range of industries, including technology, design, and marketing. Notable companies like Nestlé, Porsche, Atlassian, Goldman Sachs, and Nike have utilized Braintrust to access qualified professionals for their projects.

Braintrust’s innovative approach has garnered industry recognition. In May 2024, the company launched Braintrust AIR, the world’s first fully autonomous recruiting platform. The demo video received over 725,000 views and 46,000 likes on YouTube, and over 4.5 million views across platforms. The platform was named #1 on a list of the 10 Best AI Recruiting Tools. Braintrust

A Global Impact

Braintrust’s community has grown rapidly, with over 571,877 talent members as of January 2024. This growth reflects the platform’s appeal to professionals seeking fair compensation and ownership in their work. Braintrust

The company’s innovative solutions have been featured in prominent publications, highlighting its role in transforming the hiring industry. Coverage in outlets like Fortune, Yahoo!, Semafor, and ZDNet underscores Braintrust’s influence and thought leadership in the market.

Yoodli AI Collaboration

In September 2024, Braintrust partnered with Yoodli, an AI-powered communication coaching platform to integrate Yoodli’s AI technology into Braintrust’s sales training and coaching services. Yoodli

Brains and Bucks: The Financial Fuel Behind Braintrust’s Growth

Braintrust has successfully raised a total of $29 million in equity funding through three primary rounds. These rounds have helped fuel the platform’s growth and development, allowing it to build a decentralized talent network that serves clients globally. (Tracxn)

Initial Coin Offering (ICO)

On September 9, 2021, Braintrust held an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) and raised $41.9 million. This ICO contributed significantly to Braintrust’s funding pool, furthering its expansion and solidifying its blockchain-based hiring platform.

Series A Funding

On October 1, 2020, Braintrust closed a Series A funding round with $18 million raised. This round included both institutional and corporate investors. Key institutional investors were ACME, Blockchange, Omidyar Technology Ventures, and Pantera Capital. Corporate investors such as Multicoin Capital, HashKey, and Variant Fund also contributed. The Series A funding allowed Braintrust to enhance its technology infrastructure and broaden its network of global professionals.

Seed Funding

Braintrust raised funds in two separate seed rounds, with a focus on early-stage growth and platform development.

• On June 24, 2020, Braintrust raised $6 million in a second seed round. Notable investors included IDEO CoLab, Kindred Ventures, Homebrew, True Ventures, and Vy Capital. Corporate investors UPRISING and Galaxy also participated, along with angel investors Scott Belsky, Robert Leshner, James Everingham, and Stacy Brown Philpot.
• Braintrust’s first seed round on December 11, 2018, brought in $5 million. This funding came from investors like True Ventures, Uprising Capital, Vy Capital, IDEO CoLab, and Homebrew. Corporate investor Cambrian Asset Management and angel investor Jack Abraham also contributed.

Revenue Model

Braintrust generates revenue through a unique 10% fee charged to employers for platform services. This fee is low compared to traditional hiring platforms and helps keep costs down for both talent and companies.

In Q1 2023, Braintrust recorded consistent growth in revenue, reaching $2.2 million. Since its inception in July 2019, Braintrust has accrued $13.5 million in revenue through this model. The collected fees are converted from fiat to BTRST tokens and stored in an on-chain treasury managed by the Braintrust DAO. Messari

Bringing Down the House (of Cards): Why Braintrust is Here to Stay

Braintrust is transforming the hiring landscape through its decentralized, user-owned platform. By connecting skilled professionals directly with top companies, Braintrust eliminates costly intermediaries. This model saves money for companies and ensures fair compensation for talent. The platform uses blockchain technology and AI to create a trusted, efficient, and precise hiring experience. With features like AI-powered candidate matching, global workforce management, and a unique user-ownership model, Braintrust stands out as a pioneer in modern recruitment.

Traditional hiring methods are often slow, expensive, and lack transparency. Braintrust addresses these issues by giving professionals and employers control over the hiring process. Their unique BTRST token allows users to participate in governance, making the platform a true community-driven network. Companies like Porsche, Nestlé, and Nike trust Braintrust to find the right talent quickly and efficiently. This commitment to transparency, efficiency, and fairness is changing the way we think about work and recruitment.

Braintrust’s story highlights how a bold idea can disrupt an industry and provide value to people everywhere.  If you have an idea, start planning, researching, and networking. The world needs more solutions that challenge old ways of thinking and bring real benefits to people. For more insights into innovative startups and industry trends, check out other articles on Venture Kites. We cover everything from groundbreaking technologies to inspiring founder stories.