Thumbtack raises $100 mn

It was only a few months ago that Thumbtack, an online marketplace for hiring workers for particular tasks, raised $30 million of financing.

But as is increasingly common in Silicon Valley, the company has quickly gathered more cash. On Wednesday, Thumbtack is expected to announce a new $100 million financing round, led by an investment arm of Google. The back-to-back rounds underscore the robust demand among investors to gain access to favored start-ups. With more money flooding into venture capital funds, investors are trying to find the next Uber or Airbnb - a quest that involves losing far more often than winning.

"We were already a strong and well-capitalised business," the Thumbtack chief executive, Marco Zappacosta, said in a statement. But, he added, "we couldn't pass up the opportunity" to work with the new investors. Thumbtack did not disclose its valuation in the round. In addition to Google Capital, the investors in the latest round include Tiger Global Management, Sequoia Capital and Javelin Venture Partners, all of which previously invested in the company.

Thumbtack, which is based in San Francisco, has now raised $150 million of financing to date.

Thumbtack, which was started in 2009, runs a site that lets people find freelance professionals in their area, for onetime or recurring tasks like a photo shoot, yoga sessions, interior design work or assistance with moving. It says it operates in all 50 states and sends roughly $1.8 billion of business annually to more than 75,000 professionals.

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