News Corp Australia has thrown investment into the homegrown startup, hipages, Australia’s website giant responsible for finding and hiring tradespeople.
News Corp has acquired a 25 per cent stake in the company, which since launcing in 2004 has directly employed 200 people and now helps over 65,000 verified tradespeople find work and get access to $1.35 billion worth of jobs generated annually.
The funding will be used to accelerate growth, invest in product development, and create greater brand awareness among customers and trade businesses.
“hipages has come a long way from a small garage in 2004, to employing 200 people today. While we’re very proud of the growth we’ve had so far, we know hipages is just getting started,” hipages co-founder and CEO David Vitek said.
“People love having a faster, better way to find the best tradie for any job they need done. But the real competition is that too many Australians still aren’t aware that there’s a better way to do this.”
News Corp Australia CEO Peter Tonagh added, “The investment is part of a wider plan to further develop and grow the property and home services category in Australia. hipages is a leader in this market and has consistently demonstrated innovation and strong management.
“We look forward to working with the hipages team to realise further benefits for both our businesses in the property and home services category.”
