Braintrust

Braintrust is a decentralized talent network that connects vetted freelance knowledge workers, primarily software engineers, designers, product managers, and other technical and operations specialists, with large companies hiring for contract and project work. Its distinguishing feature is an ownership and incentive model built on a crypto token: the people who use and contribute to the network, including talent and the community members who vet applicants and refer clients, can earn tokens, and Braintrust does not take a cut of freelancer earnings the way conventional marketplaces do, instead charging clients a fee on top of what talent is paid. The pitch to freelancers is that they keep their full rate, and the pitch to clients is lower effective costs and access to a large pool of pre-screened professionals. Braintrust reports a community in the hundreds of thousands and a client list that includes many large enterprises across technology, finance, and consumer sectors. It has added AI-assisted matching to shorten the time from job posting to shortlisted candidates, and it operates an application and screening process to maintain quality. Braintrust competes with both traditional staffing agencies and other freelance platforms, differentiating on economics and its community-governed structure rather than on being a managed delivery firm.