Talent Bridge — Freelance Marketplace
Two-sided marketplace with Stripe Connect escrow, real-time chat, weighted reviews, and a proper dispute resolution flow. $124K GMV first quarter.
The problem they were solving
Founders launching a freelance marketplace. Needed escrow payments, real-time chat, dispute resolution, reviews. Investors rejected Bubble/no-code approach. Deadline: launch before competitor raised Series-B.
How I approached it
Laravel API + Vue SPA. Stripe Connect for escrow with automatic release schedules. Pusher for real-time chat. Custom review system with weighted scoring (recency + verified transaction). Dispute admin flow with mediator role.
By the numbers
Overview
Talent Bridge is a two-sided marketplace for design freelancers and product teams. Built to handle the full lifecycle from posting a project through delivery and payment release.
Key systems
- Stripe Connect for escrow-style payments (funds held until client approval)
- Real-time messaging via Socket.io with typing indicators and read receipts
- File attachments up to 100MB with virus scanning
- Review system with proof-of-completion requirement
- Search with Elasticsearch across 30+ facets