About Unicorn Factory

A curated freelance marketplace for serious Kiwi businesses

Unicorn Factory helps New Zealand businesses find reliable local freelancers without sorting through thousands of profiles, chasing cheap bids, or hoping the first person they find is the right fit.

We focus on quality, local context, and a clearer hiring process so clients can find professionals they trust, and freelancers can meet businesses that value good work.

2018

Founded in New Zealand

11,000+

Connections made

2,000+

Freelancers reviewed

Local talent only

Founder story

Built from both sides of freelance hiring

Unicorn Factory started in 2018 while Connor Finlayson was freelancing himself. Most of his work came through word of mouth, and he wanted to build a more useful local way for Kiwi businesses and freelancers to find each other online.

The first version launched with eight freelancers, most of them friends. Since then, Unicorn Factory has grown into a marketplace connecting thousands of New Zealand businesses with local talent across design, marketing, development, content, automation, and more.

The idea has stayed the same: make freelance hiring feel less like scrolling through a global marketplace and more like getting a trusted local recommendation, backed by proof and a clearer process.

Our point of view

Freelance hiring should not feel like a gamble

Most hiring problems come from too much noise, unclear expectations, or choosing the first person who fits a fixed budget. Unicorn Factory sits in the middle: more curated than a giant marketplace, more practical than a traditional recruiter.

Global marketplaces

Often built around volume, low prices, and endless profiles to sort through.

Traditional recruitment

Useful for some roles, but often too heavy for project-based freelance work.

Unicorn Factory

A curated local marketplace with reviewed freelancers, real proof, and a clearer hiring process.

What curated means

Reviewed before they reach your shortlist

Vetted is not a badge we throw around lightly. We review each freelancer through the lens of whether we would trust them with our own business.

The standard is simple: would we trust this person with our own business?

Portfolio quality

We review the quality, clarity, and relevance of the freelancer's work.

Professional experience

We look for signs they can work with real businesses and deliver reliably.

Communication

Good client work depends on clear expectations, responsiveness, and follow-through.

Commitment to freelancing

We want people who take the work seriously, not a quick side hustle.

Local market fit

New Zealand context, time zones, and business culture all matter.

Real project proof

Case studies help show how someone thinks, communicates, and solves problems.

Better matches for both sides

Serious work needs serious people on both sides

For businesses

Find freelancers who are professional, reliable, and ready to work on meaningful business projects. This is not a place for bargain hunting or hoping someone does not disappear halfway through the job.

For freelancers

Meet clients who value quality, realistic budgets, clear communication, and long-term working relationships. The goal is to connect good freelancers with clients who take the work seriously.

Guided hiring

We help you make a better hiring decision

Finding a freelancer is only one part of the job. We help clients shape the brief, understand the budget, compare options, and choose with more confidence.

Clarify the brief

We help shape the goals, scope, skills, and outcomes before the search starts.

Set a realistic budget

We help clients think through the budget needed to attract the right level of freelancer.

Compare relevant options

You get a clearer view of the market by speaking with a focused shortlist.

Choose with confidence

The goal is to make a considered decision, not gamble on the first person who fits the budget.

Proof

Proof lives in the work

Case studies are the clearest way to understand freelancer quality. They show the kind of businesses our freelancers work with, the problems they solve, and the standards we care about.

Browse case studies

Product & UX

Brand Direction and Product Design for an AI Running Coach App Built for Investment Conversations

By John-Luke WardRead more

Brand Design

From the founder

A local marketplace with a clear point of view

I started Unicorn Factory after working as a freelancer myself and seeing how much good work came through trust, reputation, and local relationships. Today, I use the marketplace to find freelancers for my own projects too.

That keeps the standard practical. I care less about making the marketplace as big as possible and more about helping people find someone they would genuinely trust with important business work.

“I built Unicorn Factory around the kind of freelancer I would trust with my own business.”

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Tell us what you need done and we'll share it with relevant local freelancers who can help.

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