Experfy, the Harvard-backed start-up, has introduced a new platform for data scientists to earn money. The company is launching a talent marketplace to match companies and their data science projects with people who have “strong quantitative skills…know data and statistics.”

According to a Wikibon report, there is an estimated $2.28 billion short-term big data service work available today. With a shortfall of 140,000-190,000 workers with analytical expertise and 1.5 million managers who lack the skills to understand and make decision on the analysis of big data, Experfy is targeting its efforts carefully.

Experfy intends to differentiate itself from other large freelancing websites like oDesk, Elance, and Freelancer, by vetting the best and highest quality freelancers. Freelancers will log into Experfy using their LinkedIn profiles, list their key strengths, and then wait for their profiles to be approved.

Harpreet Singh, the Co-founder of Experfy, commented on his stance towards big data freelancing:

“We have huge advantage that a similar high-end big data marketplace does not exist yet.  Our real competition is not Freelancer; rather it is the likes of McKinsey, KPMG and Accenture,”