Omic OS, a systems biology AI platform for drug discovery, needed specialists with both deep biological knowledge and modern AI expertise—skills rarely found locally. Through Upwork, their 15-person team built a global network of experts including a clinical geneticist from Scotland (now CSO) and a systems engineer in Vietnam managing their HPC cluster. The platform's talent pool and Uma AI tools helped them find matches within days instead of months, freeing resources for core priorities and enabling a lean team to operate with capabilities of a much larger organization.

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Microsoft's Office Video and Production Team faced a request to produce nine videos within 10 days—well beyond their small internal team's bandwidth. Through Upwork's Enterprise Suite, they discovered skilled independent professionals ready to complete quick, low-cost, high-quality video production at scale. The initial project was completed in nine days without requiring any editing, exceeding expectations. By adopting a hybrid work model leveraging both full-time and independent talent, Microsoft team members now have more time to focus strategically. The freelance model has become the greatest change in 20+ years with regard to production and budget, enabling continual production and larger scaling.

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The Workplace Depot, a U.K.-based e-commerce industrial supplies company with 20,000+ products, needed high-quality artwork for every stage of the product life cycle. Hiring employees was difficult and agencies were too costly. Through Upwork, they built a core freelance team across 8 countries spanning 4 continents, including specialists in 3D animation (Kazakhstan), email marketing (U.K.), user manuals (Philippines), packaging design (Kazakhstan), and graphic design (Nigeria). Time zone differences enabled 24-hour productivity cycles.

Skills

Project Details

Microsoft's Office Video and Production Team faced a request to produce nine videos within 10 days—well beyond their small internal team's bandwidth. Through Upwork's Enterprise Suite, they discovered skilled independent professionals ready to complete quick, low-cost, high-quality video production at scale. The initial project was completed in nine days without requiring any editing, exceeding expectations. By adopting a hybrid work model leveraging both full-time and independent talent, Microsoft team members now have more time to focus strategically. The freelance model has become the greatest change in 20+ years with regard to production and budget, enabling continual production and even larger scaling.

Project Details

Liquid Screen Design, a creative swag company that designs custom campaigns, needed highly skilled designers who could deliver quality work quickly. Traditional agencies couldn't consistently deliver quality talent within budget. Through Upwork, they built a high-performing global team across 3 countries with freelancers supporting inside sales, support, order ops, design, and analytics. Their systems include custom job post questions to filter AI responses, video interviews, and inclusive team-building that treats freelancers as valued team members.

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When Carol Taylor, Director Content Experience at Microsoft, was asked to increase freelancer use, she turned to Upwork for PowerPoint template design. Starting with small projects refreshing existing templates, the pilot expanded to designing new templates and graphics. The team built a talent pool including a design consultant and project manager to handle day-to-day activities, track milestones, and review deliverables. Creating briefs with guidelines ensured quality remained high as projects ramped up.

Skills

Project Details

Omic OS, a systems biology AI platform for drug discovery, needed specialists with both deep biological knowledge and modern AI expertise—skills rarely found locally. Through Upwork, their 15-person team built a global network of experts including a clinical geneticist from Scotland (now CSO) and a systems engineer in Vietnam managing their HPC cluster. The platform's talent pool and Uma AI tools helped them find matches within days instead of months, freeing resources for core priorities and enabling a lean team to operate with capabilities of a much larger organization.

Skills

Project Details

Liquid Screen Design, a creative swag company that designs custom campaigns, needed highly skilled designers who could deliver quality work quickly. Traditional agencies couldn't consistently deliver quality talent within budget. Through Upwork, they built a high-performing global team across 3 countries with freelancers supporting inside sales, support, order ops, design, and analytics. Their systems include custom job post questions to filter AI responses, video interviews, and inclusive team-building that treats freelancers as valued team members.

Skills

Project Details

When Carol Taylor, Director Content Experience at Microsoft, was asked to increase freelancer use, she turned to Upwork for PowerPoint template design. Starting with small projects refreshing existing templates, the pilot expanded to designing new templates and graphics. The team built a talent pool including a design consultant and project manager to handle day-to-day activities, track milestones, and review deliverables. Creating briefs with guidelines ensured quality remained high as projects ramped up.

Skills

Project Details