Paro, a Chicago startup that connects businesses with freelance finance professionals, just snagged $5 million in funding in a round led by Steve Case's firm Revolution Ventures.
Paro announced the $5 million round Monday, which also included investments by Global Founders Capital and Tom Williams, a venture investor and founder of BetterCompany.
Paro, which launched in 2015, connects companies with freelance finance pros like bookkeepers, accountants and analysts who provide remote, hourly support on-demand.
Founded by Michael Burdick and Dan Wywrot, Paro says it has worked with nearly a thousand businesses and hundreds of freelancers.
“Our mission first and foremost is to empower people to do what they love,” Burdick said in a statement. “We’re doing so by providing the finance experts in our network with a consistent pipeline of projects aligned with their skills, industry experience and interests through our matchmaking algorithms."
Case, the founder of AOL, has been one of the loudest proponents for backing startups outside of Silicon Valley and New York. Through his Washington, D.C.-based venture firm Revolution, Case has been traveling the country and funding startups throughout the Midwest, Southeast, and other areas that have been traditionally overlooked by venture capitalists. Revolution has three funds: Revolution Ventures (Series A/B rounds), Revolution Growth (later stage startups), and the Rise of the Rest fund (which invests specifically in non-Silicon Valley startups and is backed by big names like Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt.)
By connecting freelance workers with businesses, Paro operates in a similar space with Shiftgig, a Chicago startup that connects workers with available hospitality, retail and warehouse gigs. Shiftgig co-founder Eddie Lou sits on Paro's board.
