The Freelance Market is Broken
The current ecosystem creates impossible barriers for new talent and critical security risks for companies.
Talent is Overlooked
The market is saturated with senior experts, creating an "experience trap" that renders skilled university students invisible. Ability is being ignored in favor of tenure.
Security is a Costly Afterthought
Data leaks on major platforms are common, leading to catastrophic financial and reputational damage.
Estimated potential loss for Coinbase from a single contractor data leak.
High-Profile Leaks Include:
- Toptal: Hacked GitHub repositories exposed critical client secrets and proprietary code.
- Upwork/Fiverr: Suffer from ongoing scams that lead to stolen credentials and funds.
Data Breaches & Market Snapshot
Recent platform & cloud incidents, financial exposure & regional market context
Global Breach Cost
2024 Average Cost
$4.88M
Global avg cost of a data breach
2025 Estimate
$4.44M
Projected global avg cost
Platform-focused breaches often under-report monetary impact; reputational, legal & remediation costs often exceed direct losses.
Why This Matters for Marketplaces
- • Mass user profiles increase attack surface
- • Credential stuffing, phishing & insider threats common
- • Monetary losses + reputational/legal fallout
Tip: Use these figures to justify investment in KYC, encryption, and SOC operations on platform slides.
Manpower (Staffing)
Dec 2024 / Jan 2025
Passport scans, SSNs, addresses, ~500 GB of corporate data
Cloud Data Cascade
Snowflake-related — 2024
Large-scale exposures across multiple enterprise customers
Coinbase
Insider/Contractor attack — 2024
Insider-driven data theft; major remediation costs
Regional & Market Context
Company Size Distribution
Company Size by Number of Employees
Big corporations are still the main ones hiring freelancers, while small and medium-sized businesses still have some catching up to do.
A Concentrated & High-Value Market
The European freelance market is mature and highly educated, presenting a clear opportunity for a specialized platform like WURP.
Weekly Working Hours
Average: 40h per week
Project Acquisition Methods
Active (38%)
Client acquisition, applying for open projects
Passive (62%)
Recurring services, referrals, follow-up projects
Work-Life Balance
Key Insight
70% report good or very good work-life balance
25% of freelance experts advise planning more time for family
Education & Service Rates
Education Level Impact
Service Rates
Core Innovations
The Secure Virtual Workspace
Our flagship feature is a dedicated, isolated cloud environment for every project. We guarantee data security where others fail.
Result: Your data cannot be downloaded, copied, or accessed externally.
Simple & Transparent Business Model
Our revenue model is designed for accessibility and shared success.
For Clients (Companies)
€80-100
Per Month Flat Subscription
For Users (Students)
A success-based model. No fees to join.
Why We Win: Competitive Advantage
| Feature | WURP | Upwork / Fiverr / etc. |
|---|---|---|
| Data Security | Secure Virtual Workspace | User's Responsibility (High Risk) |
| Talent Pool | Vetted & Curated Students | Open to the Public |
| Sorting Method | Skill-Based Tiers | Experience & Reviews |
| Key Focus | Emerging Talent for SMBs | Volume & Broad Scope |
A Seamless Journey
Onboarding & Vetting
Students pass skill tests & KYC. Clients are verified.
Project Matching
Clients browse talent via transparent skill tiers.
The Handshake
Client selects student; contract is issued.
Secure Execution
Virtual workspace is deployed; work begins.
Completion
Payment is released; feedback is exchanged.