Introducing Lifted, an Upwork Company Purpose-Built to Power Enterprise Contingent Workforces

Since Upwork’s inception, we’ve had the privilege of partnering with some of the world’s most forward-thinking enterprises. For years, we’ve delivered best-in-class solutions for sourcing, engaging, and managing independent contractors who help our clients launch new products, scale emerging technologies like AI, and unlock capacity in critical functions from app development to finance to sales and marketing. Our clients rely on Upwork to connect them with the right talent and tools to propel their businesses forward.

As our relationships with these companies deepened, one thing became clear: They saw the potential for Upwork to play a larger, more interwoven role in their contingent workforce strategies. They wanted to bring more of their contingent work to our platform, to benefit from the deep talent pool on the Upwork Marketplace and our digital DNA, but our enterprise solution was built for independent contractor relationships, not for the full diversity of their needs. They wanted us embedded in, not alongside, centralized contingent work programs. They wanted us to support every contract type. And they wanted us to fully integrate into the systems—like vendor management systems (VMS) and managed service providers (MSPs)—that they already use to manage their workforces at scale.

Today we are responding resoundingly to these customer requests. We have built the infrastructure and solutions that support enterprise contingent work programs in ways no one else can. I’m thrilled to introduce you to Lifted.

Lifted marks the beginning of a new chapter in how the world’s largest companies can unify contingent workforce management into one seamless, compliant, global solution. 

A new standard for contingent workforce solutions

Lifted is a new, wholly owned Upwork Inc. subsidiary that brings together everything enterprises need to source, contract, manage, and pay talent across every major contingent work model, including independent contractors, staff augmentation, agent of record (AOR), employer of record (EOR), and statement of work (SOW) engagements.

We’ve heard from customers that what Lifted offers simply doesn’t exist in the market today, and that it fulfills their contingent workforce needs in a way no other provider can. Most contingent workforce providers force a tradeoff between flexibility and compliance, speed and scale, or digital ease and enterprise rigor. By enabling companies to hire globally, compliantly, seamlessly, and at scale, Lifted refuses to compromise. For the first time, enterprise clients will have a single, integrated solution that combines:

• A platform purpose-built for enterprise, not retrofitted from SMB or marketplace tools.
• Seamless support for W-2 and other employed contract types, delivered through a digitally native employer of record built to work inside complex enterprise environments.
• Access to top-tier global talent from the Upwork Marketplace, including the world’s largest pool of AI experts.

To power this next evolution, Lifted is uniting leading contingent work solutions into an unparalleled, deeply integrated customer experience. Lifted acquired Bubty, a modular workforce management platform that serves as the backbone of Lifted’s operating system, as well as Ascen, a tech-forward, API-first EOR platform built specifically for contingent work.

Lifted also taps into Upwork’s premier capability for customers: connecting clients with the world’s most skilled independent professionals, including over 250,000 AI experts worldwide. It’s a powerful way for organizations to access the talent shaping the future of work.

Our vibrant human- and AI-powered Upwork Marketplace remains central to how businesses of all sizes find and collaborate with trusted talent and get work done every day. With approximately $4 billion in client spend annually, this marketplace is where companies come to solve business problems, accelerate innovation, and access the in-demand skills they need to compete. It’s also where independent professionals find opportunity on their own terms, doing meaningful work with the world’s leading organizations. 

Now we’re extending the tremendous benefit of access to the unmatched talent pool on the Upwork Marketplace to the full range of flexible contingent work models Lifted enables for enterprises. 

Liftoff of our next chapter

Lifted is the next chapter in our commitment to serving the evolving needs of the world’s largest companies, driving a fundamental shift in how businesses grow, innovate, and access the critical skills they need to compete.

We’re ready for liftoff, and we’re glad you’re along for the ride.