One can't help but make the comparison, so when I first heard of CADcrowd I asked MacKenzie Brown, one of its co-founders, what was their niche? How do they differentiate themselves from all the other crowd-funding, group-think, cad communities that are already established?
This is what he had to say.
"At this point, a large part of our work has been focused around helping clients create designs and 3D models for new products ideas. Clients take the work created by freelancers to manufacturers and/or use the designs for crowd funding campaigns on sites like Kickstarter.
"Our long term goal is to build the worlds largest reliable network of freelancers for 3D modeling and CAD design work. A large number of the work on our site has been completed through contests (crowd sourcing), where clients pick the design that best suits their idea. While the amount freelancers make from contests is relatively modest, the work showcase and reputation (via points system leaderboard) has allowed our top designers and engineers to earn a significant amount of money through private projects and ongoing assignments with clients."
That's quite the goal. Since the time I heard of CADcrowd until now, I have witnessed an incredible number of design contests being posted and their number of designers has grown steadily. Whereas some businesses focus on building a community or library of CAD models, it appears that CADcrowd is focusing on building a library of CAD designers. And unlike other freelance job boards, CADcrowd has found a way to provide a positive experience for both the client and customer while allowing several methods of design completion: through competitions, by hourly labor, or within private projects. Finally, a freelance designer doesn't have to bid on a job on rates alone!
As innovators continually look outside their walls for additional support, often only on an as-needed basis, CADcrowd has shown up on the scene at the right time to capitalize on the movement. Let's see if they can continue to grow their membership and find innovative ways to offer freelance design services.