Brigad was founded in Paris in 2016 by Florent Malbranche and Jean Lebrument, two entrepreneurs who were passionate about improving the way people work. Noticing that workers of all types needed ways to pursue shifts that fit their schedules, the team began testing ideas of how to match qualified talent with available vacancies. They started testing how they could find extra waiters, chefs, or bartenders to fill gaps in the schedules of local restaurants and bars.
So, after one year of testing, learning, understanding and narrowing down our thoughts on this situation, we developed the first version of Brigad that was a text service where businesses would send us a message with their staffing needs.
The initial idea was to focus on hospitality roles in France. While iterating on the platform, the entrepreneurs developed a minimal-tech process where employers text vacancies, and the Brigad team matches those roles with available talent on their list.
They quickly realized that speed to fill vacancies, flexibility for workers on the platform, and transparency would be critical factors in providing an employment marketplace that would satisfy both sides of the equation. Accordingly, they built a platform centered on these practical aspects while ensuring workers would be valued, respected, independent, and free.
After some success with their initial foray into the space, the team secured VC funding in 2022. Just a few short years later, the team has a presence in three markets: hospitality and healthcare in France and hospitality in the UK.
Their technology platform has matured to include features to assist businesses with invoicing, payments, and hiring paperwork, in addition to matching talent with available shifts. While Brigard started with small and medium businesses, they now work with companies of all sizes, with a platform that can scale to meet the needs of a range of businesses from mom-and-pop businesses to enterprises in any country.