DES MOINES, Iowa – This is just the thing for a handy guy with extra time.
“When I have a free weekend soon, I’ll see what kind of job I can get,” says Shawn Pruitt of Urbandale.
Pruitt is skilled with hammers and saws. He first reaches for his smartphone and opens the HUDU app.
“Once you enter your hometown,” he explains, “you’ll see listings from your area. You can literally scroll through and think, ‘Oh, I have the skills for this job.'”
Just 19 months ago, HUDU was little more than a simple idea in the mind of founder Derreck Stratton.
“I kept hearing people talk about how hard it was to make extra money,” he recalls. “And when I looked into it, I realized it’s just as hard for people to do these odd jobs.”
These people are called “listers” and HUDU matches them with qualified people looking for additional work: “doers”.
For multi-talented creators like Pruitt, the spectrum is broad.
“I’ve done everything,” he says, “from fixing printers to fixing bicycles to fixing a cracked closet door to tiling a shower to remodeling an entire bathroom.”
HUDU has done so well so far that everyone wants to get involved. Earlier this month, the Iowa Economic Development Authority awarded them a $50,000 grant. Google awarded them $250,000 this week.
Stratton says this money will keep the company from having to “live on a shoestring.”
“As an early-stage startup, every penny counts,” he says. “But with the money from Google, we can really invest in our infrastructure.”
By this he means artificial intelligence (AI), which will help both HUDU listeners and creators.
“It helps you write the copy for your project,” says Chief Creative Officer Scott Siepker, “to make sure you’re as clear and concise as possible so the client can provide an accurate quote.”
With its growing army of creators and satisfied listeners spreading the message, HUDU seems ready to make the leap to the national stage.
“HUDU will be to casual jobs what Uber is to ride-hailing,” Stratton envisions. “You need something done, and you do it with HUDU.”
The first 18 months were difficult, says Siepker, but now the company is on the rise.
“It seems to me as if we are now standing on the launch pad and the roar of the engines starting up begins,” he says, “and we are about to take off.”
