Coople: Redefining Work Flexibility in the Digital Age

Celebrating 15 years of the Top100 Swiss Startup Award, we spotlight the pioneers who shaped their industries. Among them is Coople, which gained early recognition in the ranking — appearing three years in a row — and took part in Venturelab's Venture Leaders program. Born in 2009, Coople has become a European leader in digital staffing, changing how companies and workers connect through its on-demand work platform.

As Top100 celebrates its 15th anniversary, Coople shows how Swiss startups can scale digital innovation globally. Ranked early on in the Top100 for three consecutive years and later featured among the Top100 Scale-ups, as well as a Venture Leaders Technology participant in 2012, the ICT company began in 2009 as a small startup addressing temporary workforce needs. Sixteen years later, it has grown into Europe’s largest on-demand work platform, pioneering new ways of flexible employment by aligning business needs with worker aspirations.
Coople Founder and CEO, Viktor Calabrò

"Bringing in significant capital
also brings significant responsibility."

How did you first recognize the opportunity in flexible staffing?
I saw the opportunity because I couldn’t find a staffing solution that truly met my needs — neither during my time in consulting nor later in the events industry. That frustration sparked the idea for a fully digital, on-demand staffing platform. In other words, I founded Coople out of necessity — because no one else was providing this kind of solution.

What was your first prototype or trial like?
In the beginning, we ran the entire business manually and quickly realized how essential automation would be. Our first prototype was more of a façade than a fully functional product — but I wouldn’t change a thing. It was the right way to start.

Which milestones took Coople from an idea to Europe’s leading staffing platform?
We focused early on building a strong foundation for our Swiss business before scaling abroad. Looking back, we might have benefited from deepening that base even more before expanding internationally — but those early decisions laid the groundwork for sustainable growth.

What is a piece of fundraising advice you wish you knew earlier—or something that helped you raise more effectively?
>  Raise liquidity before you urgently need it.
>  Treat investors as true partners — get to know them well and ensure they can contribute meaningfully.
>  Bringing in significant capital also brings significant responsibility. Manage it wisely and invest only in initiatives that create lasting value.

1 year of Coople

What was the hardest part about gaining the confidence of both workers and companies?
Flexible workers embraced the concept quickly, but for companies, a fully digital staffing model took longer to gain acceptance. Even today, not everyone has fully adopted it. However, once both sides saw tangible results, it became clear that the model not only matched traditional approaches but offered real advantages.

How has Coople transformed the way businesses and workers approach flexible work?
With Coople, both clients and workers discovered that flexibility could be redefined. Previously, “flexible” work often meant contracts with one- to two-month lead times lasting at least a month — essentially outsourcing rather than true agility. Coople changed that, enabling real-time adaptability where work can be scheduled or adjusted by the hour or even by the day.

Is it freelance, flexible, or something else entirely?
Flexibility isn’t just about employment type — it’s about time, location, and skills. Depending on context and individual needs, it must be continually reassessed to find the right balance. Through its Workforce Planning Platform, Coople now combines software and services to meet both business and worker needs precisely.

Which early decision set Coople’s path in the changing world of work?
In a startup, every day brings crucial decisions. But it’s the first step that truly sets the mission in motion. In our early years, we approached challenges with a mix of naivety and enthusiasm, but also with confidence, courage, and a simple goal: to make work just a little bit better.