KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 8): Malaysian recruitment start-up MakeTimePay has secured an undisclosed amount of investment funding from entrepreneur Simon Landsheer, who is the managing partner at Singapore-based venture capital firm Impiro.

In a statement today, MakeTimePay did not disclose the amount except to say that the investment is "significant" and will be used to grow the company's team, expand its platform capabilities and make investments in customer acquisition.

"Because of Covid-19 and Fourth Industrial Revolution or 4IR, an unprecedented number of Malaysians are now forced to seek extra cash to be able to get by. Right now, the easiest way for anyone to earn extra cash is to be a gig worker delivering food or packages, or driving ride-share. But this means that a large number of qualified and professionally skilled people engaged in this work are underemployed. They are forced into earning less per hour of work than they should be, and that is because they simply cannot connect to the many income-generating opportunities that exist out there," said Landsheer.

"MakeTimePay democratises work opportunities and gives everyone a chance to make some money according to their proper capabilities and worth. That is what drew me to this venture. They are solving a problem that will not disappear with the end of Covid-19 measures and restrictions. Gig work for all skills and ranks is the future of work," he added.

MakeTimePay is a hiring portal for gig work that offers work options to individuals and companies from all industries, and people of all skillsets and from all ranks. Launched earlier this year, the portal has over 121,000 job listings.

Landsheer, who has been based in Malaysia for over 11 years now, believes that the future of work is gig employment and that the employer preference for offering and the employee preference for requesting short-term contracts would spread across Asia very rapidly. "There is a huge shift underway in how businesses are using talent and MakeTimePay is leading this change by providing flexible work arrangements for both companies and individuals."

When contacted by theedgemarkets.com, MakeTimePay co-founder and executive director Shahryn Azmi said securing external funding is a normal part of a fast-growing start-up.

"We have tried to secure funds via the Malaysian route — companies and the government including under the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA) initiatives but foreign investors like Simon were quick to fully understand the potential for the business and were totally aligned with our mission. Our fit with Simon and his ability to contribute is really extraordinary. We are extremely fortunate that he has made this decision to come on board," he said. He declined to disclose how much new funds the start-up is seeking.

Last year, Shahryn teamed up with Ken Tai, who has more than 20 years' experience in the technology industry, and Joseph Lam, a practitioner in marketing communications and branding with over 35 years' experience, to co-found MakeTimePay.