Fulcrum, a San Diego, CA-based enterprise talent marketplace aggregator, merged with Open Assembly’s Gateway division, a freelance talent advisory practice.
The companies combined to form Bench Talent Cloud offering enterprises their own Virtual Bench filled with technology and innovation talent, curated just for them. Trevor Foster, Co-founder of Fulcrum, will serve as CEO of Bench, while Barry Matthews, CEO of Open Assembly, joins as President.
With a focus on Enterprise Technology Teams and Technology Service Providers, Bench Talent Cloud partners with its clients to establish technology-enabled communities of talent that can be deployed on a moment’s notice. Using its Enterprise Talent Cloud along with proven enablement and advisory services, Bench combines known talent (encompassing employees, alumni, and previous contractors) with new talent from online marketplaces, staffing agencies, or direct recruits into a single, cohesive Virtual Bench.
As part of this transaction, Bench Talent Cloud has secured strategic growth investment led by Communitas Capital and Greatscale Ventures with participation from additional institutional investors.
As part of the merger and growth investment, Doug Atkin of Communitas Capital, Tyson McDowell of Greatscale Ventures, and Jeff Klenner, longtime independent board director at Fulcrum, will join Barry Matthews and Trevor Fosterfrom the management team to form the Board of Directors for Bench Talent Cloud.
The original Open Assembly community and brand will remain distinct from Bench Talent Cloud. It will continue its mission to develop a common process and common language for Open Talent. Under the leadership of its Founder and Chairman, John Winsor, the company will continue offering its renowned thought leadership, training programs, and a certification program for talent platforms.
