Peerlist is a professional network for technology company employees. The main feature of a member profile is the ability to create a portfolio that clearly shows real and diverse results of their work, such as the number of commits on GitHub, published articles on Medium, design examples from Dribble, links to projects from ProductHunt, etc. Peerlist has already integrated with similar platforms and is continuing to expand its list of integrations, such as soon to be added integration with Figma. Members just need to add their account on a third-party platform and authorize access to it, after which the list of activities from that platform will appear in Peerlist and will be updated automatically. The startup was founded in August 2021 and has raised 1.1 million dollars in a round led by the co-founder of popular CRM HubSpot.
Peerlist is a professional network for technology company employees, like other social networks it also has the option to add "friends" which are called "peers" here. The startup claims that the connections made on Peerlist are more meaningful because the decision to establish a mutual connection is made based on examples of real work rather than resumes. This opens up not only the possibility of communication regarding employment but also potential collaborations for joint projects. Companies will soon be able to create meaningful and attractive profiles on Peerlist. A unique feature of the company profile is the ability to add information about the profiles of employees, including examples of their work and projects. The company says "Your employees are ambassadors of your brand" and if you want to hire new employees, they should not only know about the company but also understand what kind of team they could be joining. If it is visible that the team members are active and interesting, it can be a positive factor in attracting new talents.
The co-founder of HubSpot, who invested in the startup, says "the market is ready for new networks for professional contacts" and that Peerlist has taken on this challenge and their platform is a breath of fresh air. The investor in another new professional networking platform, Intch, Igor Ryabenky from AltaIR Capital, expresses a similar sentiment, stating that it is clear that remote work is here to stay and professional networking must also change with new formats and ways to find remote partners, employees, and contacts. LinkedIn is still the leader in the market of professional social networks but is seen as "stuck in the past" by the new generation. This is a common problem for any social network that has been around for a while, and new startups will continue to arise to meet the changing needs of users.
The recent emergence of new professional social networks and how they may be an opportunity for experimentation and future success. It suggests that while there is a lot happening in this space, there is also a need for change and that startups have not yet figured out what the new LinkedIn should be for the new generation. There is an opportunity for experimentation and success in this space, and that analyzing the new professional social networks and aligning them with one's own vision of what a professional network should be can lead to success.