Full-Time
Online platform for hourly staffing
$90k/yr
San Francisco, CA, USA
In Person
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Instawork is an online staffing platform that connects businesses with a large pool of vetted hourly workers for short-term, seasonal, and temp-to-hire roles. It uses an intelligent matching system to pair businesses with suitable workers from its database, supported by a thorough vetting process, and lets businesses view worker profiles and experience as shifts are picked. The service also allows hiring for full-time roles from the same pool, providing a single source for both temporary and permanent staffing. The goal is to make it easier for businesses to fill shifts with reliable workers and to scale the process of hourly staffing.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
Series D
Total Funding
$148.1M
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
Founded
2015
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Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Paid Holidays
Home Office Stipend
Phone/Internet Stipend
Commuter Benefits
Paid Sick Leave
Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
401(k) Retirement Plan
Stock Options
Instawork, an AI-powered labour marketplace, is coordinating staffing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup across 16 US host cities, delivering 30% better outcomes in skills matching and staffing optimisation. The platform is managing thousands of shifts for line cooks, servers, bartenders, security and concession workers across 78 matches. The company's AI agents enable managers to post entire staffing plans in minutes using natural language, whilst processing 50 times more worker approvals than two years ago. Instawork is active at major venues including AT&T Stadium in Dallas, which hosts nine matches. Shift demand has surged year-over-year, with Kansas City up 101.9%, Bay Area up 58.5%, and Dallas up 35.8%. The World Cup is projected to add $17 billion to the US economy and create 824,000 jobs across host nations.
Instawork Robotics Lab debuts Instacore - a wearable system built to scale real-world robot training data. June 9, 2026 6:23 AM Gift Article Lightweight Five-Camera System Balances the Data Requirements of Leading Research Labs With the Comfort and Usability Requirements of Real-World Operators SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / June 9, 2026 / Instawork Robotics Lab (IRL) today announced Instacore, the company's wearable hardware system that captures real-world training data for general-purpose robots and physical AI foundation models. Developed with direct input from Instawork's workforce of more than 10 million skilled Professionals (Pros) and robotics partners, Instacore is purpose-built for deployment in real commercial environments - kitchens, warehouses, hotels, and light manufacturing facilities. It is the first-of-a-kind data capture platform designed specifically for the humans wearing it. Instawork is currently collecting hundreds of thousands of hours of real-world task data every month through its Instawork Lens platform; Instacore is built to significantly accelerate data volume and quality. Designed for Humans, Not for Robots Because data diversity is only possible at scale if workers can actually do their jobs while wearing the system, Instacore was built in the Bay Area and tested through dozens of iterations. Instawork Pros wore early versions at home and while working to ensure the system can be worn during entire shifts. "The value we provide to general-purpose robotics companies is in the diversity of data. Diverse tasks. Diverse physical environments. Diverse lighting conditions. Diverse operators," said Aaron Bromberg, Head of Robotics and Physical AI at Instawork. "Instacore was built to capture that diversity at scale in the exact commercial environments where robots will actually be deployed." How Instacore Works * Five cameras with hardware time synchronization - head, chest, and two wrists - are connected to a power-efficient compute backpack built for a full work shift. * Stereo head camera provides 3D depth perception at arm's length. * Wide-angle chest camera captures the full working environment, giving models the spatial context robots need when operating outside a lab. * Wrist cameras with tracking markers allow computer vision models to calculate the exact 3D position and angle of each hand, utilizing multiple IMUs for SLAM and pose estimation - translating directly into robot joint angle training data. * Modular by design: the system can be customized with UMI grippers or alternative camera configurations based on partner requirements. The Data the Robotics Industry Is Missing The training data required to teach robots real-world physical dexterity does not yet exist at scale. The industry collected roughly 100,000 hours of robot training data in 2024, growing to approximately one million hours in 2025. Projections reach 20 million hours in 2026, which is still less than 0.04% of what researchers believe is ultimately needed. Industry Scale Goldman Sachs forecasts the humanoid robot market could reach $38 billion by 2035. Grand View Research projects the global data collection and labeling market at $17 billion by 2030. Deloitte estimates nearly two million skilled physical AI jobs will go unfilled by 2030. About Instawork Instawork's mission is to create economic opportunities for businesses and hourly workers across the globe. As the leading AI-powered marketplace for hourly labor, Instawork connects light industrial, hospitality, retail, and robotics companies to skilled workers, turning staffing agility into a competitive advantage. Instawork helps more than 10 million workers earn on their terms while developing valuable skills. Backed by leading investors including Benchmark, Craft, Greylock, and Spark Capital, Instawork is redefining how businesses stay resilient and how people work. Media Contact Amanda Pires Head of Communications, Instawork Robotics Lab [email protected] | 650-208-3728
Instawork, a gig work platform known for matching hourly staff with shifts, is launching Instacore, a wearable camera system that turns workers into robot data collectors. The device includes five cameras mounted on the head, chest and wrists, connected to a compute backpack designed for eight-hour shifts. The system records Instawork workers performing tasks like chopping vegetables or stocking shelves, generating footage used by robotics companies and AI labs to train machines for commercial environments. Instawork has around 10 million workers on its platform, providing access to diverse tasks and settings. The company, which has raised over $150 million from investors including Benchmark and Greylock, is assembling hundreds of units at its Mountain View facility. Data collection will be opt-in and anonymised.
Instawork has launched the Instawork Robotics Lab (IRL), connecting the robotics industry with its ten million-strong workforce to train, deploy and support commercial robots. The company has been working with leading robotics labs for over a year to collect and annotate data for foundation models. IRL's certification programme trains workers in two roles: robotics and AI data collection, where workers capture real-world sensor data performing physical tasks, and certified robot technicians who handle hardware issues and fleet management. The programme has reached over 20,000 workers in its first weeks, with hundreds of thousands of hours of real-world task data collected monthly. Training includes in-person and remote instruction on robotics hardware, safety protocols and mobile apps for data collection. All data collection is opt-in and anonymised.
Instawork Robotics Lab opens the physical AI economy to its 10 Million Workers. April 16, 2026 4:06 AM Gift Article Robotics Certification Program Reaches More than 20,000 Instawork Pros in Its First Weeks; Hundreds of Thousands of Hours of Real-World Task Data Collected Every Month SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / April 16, 2026 / Instawork today announced the opening of Instawork Robotics Lab (IRL), connecting the robotics industry with more than ten million skilled Instawork Professionals (Pros) who bring the real-world expertise needed to train, deploy, and support robots in commercial environments. For more than a year, most leading robotics labs have been working with IRL to collect and annotate the data that powers their foundation models, and robot manufacturers are partnering with IRL for field support and maintenance. To help more of Instawork's workforce participate in these opportunities, IRL is offering the first certified workforce program for the physical AI economy. Robotics Certification: Defining Standards The certification program addresses the industry's growing demand for skilled human labor to train, deploy, repair, and troubleshoot real-time issues across autonomous systems. Instawork Robotics Lab is training and credentialing its hourly workforce to fill that gap through two roles: * Robotics and AI Data Collection: Pros capture and label real-world sensor data in the field, performing physical tasks in commercial environments so robots can learn from skilled human execution, providing the kind of situated, high-fidelity data that accelerates model improvement. To date, IRL Pros are collecting hundreds of thousands of hours of real-world task data every month, a number that is growing rapidly as robotics adoption grows across industries. * Certified Robot Technicians: Pros in the field handle hardware resets, navigation failures, and real-time environment management to keep robotic fleets running around the clock, on-demand across 100+ markets. Training includes in-person and remote instruction on modern robotics hardware and software standards, safety protocols, and dedicated mobile apps for data collection and VR apps for robot teleoperation. All data collection is opt-in and anonymized, capturing workflows, not individuals. "The main bottleneck in robotics today isn't hardware. It's the skilled workers who can train, deploy, and troubleshoot these systems in the real world," said Sumir Meghani, Co-Founder and CEO of Instawork. "Our Pros are already wearing cameras in commercial kitchens to show robots proper knife technique, collecting sensor data on warehouse floors, and folding hotel linens on camera so machines can learn to do it to brand standards; and when those robots hit the field, our certified technicians are the ones keeping them running." "The prevailing wisdom is that AI will eliminate jobs. We're seeing the opposite: the robot economy is creating entirely new categories of work, and Instawork is the bridge to get our Pros there," Meghani added. Two Million Workers Needed. 20,000 Already Certified Goldman Sachs forecasts the humanoid robot market could reach $38 billion by 2035 and the global data collection and labeling market is projected to hit $17 billion by 2030. Deloitte projects nearly 2 million skilled physical AI jobs will go unfilled by 2030. The primary barrier to growth is the skilled human workforce needed to support these systems at scale. Instawork is building a certified labor pool trained specifically for physical AI deployments and maintenance with robotics partners. Over 20,000 Instawork Pros are already certified, establishing the industry's first quality and safety benchmark for robotics labor. For businesses, the program offers a verified, scalable way to operate robotic systems globally, without having to build dedicated local teams in every new market they enter. Instawork plans to expand training and certifications as robotics adoption accelerates across industries. About Instawork Instawork's mission is to create economic opportunities for businesses and hourly workers across the globe. As the leading AI-powered marketplace for hourly labor, Instawork connects light industrial, hospitality, retail, and robotics companies to skilled workers, turning staffing agility into a competitive advantage. Instawork helps more than ten million workers earn on their terms while developing valuable skills. Backed by leading investors such as Benchmark, Craft, Greylock, and Spark Capital, Instawork is redefining how businesses stay resilient and how people work. Media Contact: Amanda Pires Head of Communications, Instawork [email protected] | 650-208-3728