Xplace

XPlace is a private, limited corporation, registered in Israel, that operates an online freelance and work-at-home marketplace. XPlace provides businesses a platform based on a reverse-auction bidding system for hiring expert freelancers for projects in over 220 categories ranging from web development to programming, graphic design, writing, translation and more.
Businesses use XPlace's project management and payment tools to manage projects, communications between freelancer & client as well as project payments via an integrated escrow system used to pay for the work performed.
Background
XPlace was inspired by the need for a structured project marketplace in the Israeli market that would match freelancers with projects and provide a funnel of relevant projects for freelance experts looking for a steady stream of project-based work. Development of the XPlace platform began in 2003 and was launched as a minimum viable product in August 2004, after 1.25 years of development. Development of the platform is ongoing with the aim of providing additional feature sets and capabilities to users of the marketplace.
XPlace is used primarily by small and medium businesses who seek specific talent and for businesses with projects ranging in size and scope ($100 - $100,000) that may not necessarily require full-time or on-site engagements with experts.
, XPlace is used by 40,000 businesses of which approximately 20,000 are registered freelancers, contractors, consultants, and service providers who have collectively earned more than $57 million to date (230 million ILS).
Other sites that provide similar services include Elance, Freelancer, Guru, VWorker, and ODesk.
XPlace
Clients
Clients use XPlace to post projects, search for freelancers and request bids and proposals from freelancers relevant to their projects' categories. Experts are evaluated based on their price, experience, qualifications, portfolio, ratings and written reviews by other businesses who have hired them previously, as well as the overall fit for the project and chemistry with the client.
Once a freelancer is selected, a virtual, private, secure work-room is created for the client and expert to communicate, transfer files, and manage project payments through the site's escrow system, which charges a percentage fee as a "commission" on top of any funds transferred to the expert. When a project, or major milestone of the project, has been completed, the client can release the funds and submit a detailed evaluation and rating of the freelancer's work, which is made publicly available on the profile page for others to see.
Freelancers
Freelancers are notified in real time, via email, of newly-posted projects that match their criteria and categories of expertise. Freelancers can also search XPlace for relevant projects while researching clients' hiring histories. Freelancers each receive an online profile that provides a history of the freelancer's work on XPlace as well as a selection of promotional tools such as portfolios, blogs, written descriptions of the business and their educational histories, and a summary of their previous evaluations and ratings.
Freelancers with paid subscriptions can access all of the projects in their approved categories of expertise. XPlace guarantees payment for freelancers' work when using the site's integrated escrow payment system.
A survey conducted in 2011 by XPlace compared the hourly rates of approximately 10,000 freelancers in over 170 categories and provides an answer to the question: how much do freelancers and work-at-home experts earn in Israel earn per hour.
Skills
Website-related work such as web development and design account for 39% of the jobs on XPlace, followed by Software & Programming (28%), Design & Graphics (13%), Writing & Editing (7%), Technology (5%), Sales & Marketing (4%), Translation (3%), and Photography (1%).
Media Coverage
XPlace has received media coverage in Israel, namely in TheMarker, Israel's leading financial newspaper and website.

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