Pollen Raises $4M to Power Independent Careers

NEW YORK–Pollen, the professional membership powering independent careers, has raised $4M in funding from ANIMO VC, Founder Collective, XYZ Venture Capital, Precursor Ventures, and an esteemed group of angels.

Pollen’s mission is to make self-employment accessible to all and it has officially launched its platform. Pollen provides freelancers with access to premium quality business advice and a powerful network of peers and mentors to grow their business.

The platform was created to provide essential tools and support to skilled independent workers. According to Pollen’s founder, Hillary Bush, “As a freelancer looking for opportunities to grow, I was met with scams, snake oil, and SEO. It became clear to me that nothing out there was taking my independent career as seriously as I was, and I would have to rely on soulless SEO articles, Twitter takes, LinkedIn click bait, and spam-filled Slack groups for my professional development.”

The average freelancer spends 8 hours a week Googling for answers, 2/3 suffer from self-doubt or isolation, and 90% wish their education better prepared them. As a result, they’re leaving 20-30% of potential income on the table.

“People aren’t going to business school to pursue self employment. The SBA isn’t set up to support independent careers,” said Bush. “Society is rapidly breaking the traditional job paradigm in favor of custom made careers, and Pollen plays an essential role in enabling that.”

Pollen enables every phase of independent careers, from getting a first client to launching a newsletter and diversifying revenue streams. The platform enables freelancers to:

• Make progress: Access dozens of playbooks and templates made by seasoned freelancers, because the best information can’t be Googled.
• Access expert mentors: Over 20 mentors are active on Pollen, answering questions on demand, hosting events, and developing exclusive content.
• Build their network: Meet peers and mentors through industry groups, regular events, tactical workshops, and authentic discussions that tackle issues freelancers deal with daily.
• Get more clients: Find quality job opportunities through 2x weekly drops, access exclusive referrals, and connect with a network of potential collaborators.
• Make and save money: Not only will Pollen help members get clients, but they also get access to over $100,000 worth of discounts to freelancer tools. Plus, Pollen is tax deductible.

Pollen has already had a real impact on its members’ businesses. Pollen member Rachel C. Journalist & Content Writer says, “Being a member of Pollen has directly resulted in new high-quality and well-paying clients. Pollen has given me the courage to go after household name publications, making my portfolio even more legitimate.”

Pollen launches at a time when more people are choosing to work independently, with 60M Americans freelancing in 2022 and 2/3 of Gen-Z and Millennials wanting to work for themselves.

About Pollen

Pollen is the professional membership platform that powers independent careers. With Pollen, freelancers and self-employed people can create sustainable and lucrative careers through quality business advice and a professional network of peers and mentors that give you access to hard-to-find information, clients, and support. Pollen is backed by world-class investors like Founder Collective, ANIMO VC, XYZ, and Precursor Ventures.