.jpg)
Freelancers can be a game-changer for startups, especially at the earliest stages of a venture. They offer skills that are often beyond the reach of a small team, provide access to specialized talent without the long-term financial commitment of full-time hires, and bring the flexibility to adapt to changing project needs. The rise of no-code and low-code tools has further amplified freelancers’ value, enabling entrepreneurs to build more efficiently and much less expensively. In fact, low-code tools enable most apps to be developed in an average of three months, which is 90% faster than traditional coding approaches.
However, the benefits of working with freelancers who are experts in these tools are often negated by some pretty significant challenges.
The Needle-in-the-Haystack Problem
With an astonishing 64 million freelancers in the U.S. alone, finding the right talent can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. The vast majority of these freelancers are part-timers or side-hustlers, which adds another layer of complexity when you’re trying to assess their reliability and expertise. Sorting through dozens of profiles, reviewing everyone’s sample work products and juggling multiple chat conversations takes time and also doesn’t guarantee high quality vetting. For busy entrepreneurs, it can be almost impossible to gauge who is truly qualified and dependable.
And even once an entrepreneur has chosen a freelancer (even one who seems to be working out) there are no guarantees. Far too often freelancers don’t deliver on their promises or disappear mid-project, leaving the startup in a lurch. In the startup world, where time is critical and resources are short, these kinds of setbacks can be devastating.
The Dilemma of Hiring Freelance Developers
When it comes to hiring freelance developers, the stakes are even higher. You need someone who is not just a great coder but also honest, organized, and an effective communicator. Finding such a well-rounded individual is a tall order for anyone, but especially for inexperienced or non-technical founders who may struggle to articulate their requirements and/or evaluate the quality of work being produced.
Very often, new founders find themselves in over their heads, trying to navigate technical challenges without a clear understanding of the process or the expertise needed to guide the project effectively.
A New Solution: Builders + Backers and Codemap Agency
At Builders + Backers, we understand these challenges all too well. Our Idea Accelerator program provides participants with up to $5,000 in non-dilutive funding—known as “Pebble Funds”—to cover the cost of running low-fidelity experiments. Many of our startups lean on freelancers to build early versions of their products, but finding the right person often ends up being a daunting task.
That’s why we’re excited to announce our official partnership with Codemap Agency, a leading software development agency with a strong track record in both no-code and code-based software solutions. Codemap Agency’s founders also built and have been operating Codemap’s no-code talent marketplace since late 2020. Leveraging its expertise in sourcing top tech talent and overseeing development projects, Codemap Agency has built strong teams of talented solution architects, developers, designers, project managers, and product managers. In doing so, they have eliminated a lot of the friction that comes with traditional provider selection, which means a higher likelihood of a successful project, especially for rookie entrepreneurs.
By partnering with Codemap Agency, our Builders have direct access to this pool of in-house talent who are not only skilled in no-code, low-code tools, and programming languages, but are also vetted for reliability and quality as part of Codemap Agency’s team. This collaboration allows our startups to build software up to five times faster while ensuring that they have a trusted source of expertise to guide them and their projects.
As Courtney Baker, Director of Technical Solutions at Builders + Backers, puts it, “Our partnership with Codemap Agency empowers our Builders to transform their ideas into highly functional prototypes with remarkable speed. Codemap Agency is a trusted partner, not only ensuring each project is completed with accountability but also helping our Builders focus on the core features that most need validation. This allows our Builders to quickly bring their prototypes to market and begin user testing.”
Saša Janićijević, Codemap Agency’s Founder, shares his enthusiasm: “We’re excited about this partnership because it aligns perfectly with our mission to provide founders, startups, and small-to-medium sized businesses with the right talent, tools, and expertise they need to succeed. By working with Builders + Backers, we can not only help Builders turn their visions into reality more efficiently and effectively than before, but also educate entrepreneurs and companies on expectations and best practices in software development, as well as become a trusted long-term partner on their journeys. Over 8 years ago we were there ourselves and we intimately understand the struggles of starting and growing a business, especially a tech-based one. Now, we want to make those experiences and insights a part of every product we build and every business we help grow.”
At Builders + Backers, our goal is to enable anyone with a great idea to bring it to life quickly and affordably. The power of low-code technology makes this more achievable than ever, and our partnership with Codemap Agency ensures that all of our Builders (including people entirely new to building technology) have a streamlined, effective process and qualified team for leveraging these tools.
With this new collaboration, we’re not just addressing the challenges of working with freelancers—we’re redefining the process to make it smoother, faster, and more reliable. We look forward to seeing the incredible innovations that our Builders will bring to life with this new support.