Mozilla Ventures announces investment in Rodeo, an app empowering gig workers
Funding will grow the startup's tech team, help make gig work more transparent
(UNITED KINGDOM | MAY 18, 2023) - Today, Mozilla Ventures is announcing a new investment and its first in the United Kingdom: Rodeo, an app that makes the gig work ecosystem more transparent for gig workers.
Rodeo helps workers access and control their data, providing critical insights like earnings over time and pay rates across different gig platforms. The app also allows its users to chat with fellow gig workers and swap valuable learnings and tips. Rodeo is used by more than 10,000 delivery drivers from Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat.
Gig work is a rapidly-growing sector, with an estimated 4.4 million gig workers in the UK and likely more than 1 billion across the world. While gig work platforms have played a crucial role in unlocking economic opportunity, they have also come under fire for exploitative behavior.
Mozilla Ventures is a first-of-its-kind impact venture fund to invest in startups that push the internet - and the tech industry - in a better direction. Mozilla Ventures isn't publicizing its investment amount at this time. Rodeo has previously received investment from LocalGlobe and Seedcamp.
The funding will help expand Rodeo's tech team and also defend users' legal rights to access and portability of their data - two vital mechanisms for earning a living in the gig economy.
Says Alfie Pearce-Higgins, Co-Founder of Rodeo: Mozilla has always fought for interoperability and user agency. That's why we are excited to work with Mozilla Ventures as we continue to empower gig workers and ensure their rights of data access and portability as enshrined in GDPR."
Says Mohamed Nanabhay, Managing Partner of Mozilla Ventures: Mozilla Ventures' mission is to fuel companies pushing the tech industry in a better direction - companies that respect users, and that empower them with their data. Rodeo exemplifies these principles."
Says Champika Fernando, who leads Mozilla's Data Futures Lab: The scales of the gig economy are currently tipped very much in favor of the platforms, not the workers. By addressing the way data is governed, we attempt to balance the scales and make the gig economy more equitable."
Rodeo will join a cohort of other mission driven startups that Mozilla Ventures has invested in, including SAIL, heylogin, Lelapa AI, Themis AI, and Block Party. Mozilla Ventures launched in 2022 with an initial $35 million in funding.
Press contact: Kevin Zawacki | kevin@mozillafoundation.org
The post Mozilla Ventures announces investment in Rodeo, an app empowering gig workers appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.