“We’re shamelessly obsessed with this problem,” says MyGigsters founder Benjemen Elengovan.
Never one to accept the status quo, Benjemen set out to solve one of the biggest challenges facing the modern workforce – financial insecurity for gig workers.
The result is MyGigsters, a fintech platform to embed financial services directly into gig economy platforms, helping independent workers access payments, benefits and protections traditionally reserved for full-time employees.
A new country and new challenges
Before founding MyGigsters, Benjemen experienced the gig economy firsthand.
Arriving in Australia as an international student, he took on a range of jobs to support himself such as driving for rideshare platforms, assembling IKEA furniture and picking up whatever work he could find.
Like many migrants, he was navigating a new system, a new country, and a new way of working, all at once.
The flexibility of gig work was appealing. It allowed him to choose when and how he worked, offering a sense of independence that traditional jobs didn’t. But that flexibility came with trade-offs.
“There’s no playbook,” he explains. Basic things that many employees take for granted – like understanding taxes, managing income, or accessing financial services – suddenly became his responsibility.
He had to learn what an ABN was. How to report income. How to manage fluctuating earnings. And how to plan financially in a system that offered little stability.
At the same time, income was unpredictable. Some weeks were busy. Others weren’t. Without consistent earnings, even simple things, like budgeting or applying for a loan, became difficult.
That experience exposed a deeper issue. The gig economy was growing rapidly, but the systems supporting workers hadn’t kept pace.
A growing workforce without a safety net
Gig work has transformed how people earn a living. Platforms like rideshare, delivery and freelance marketplaces offer flexibility, autonomy and access to income. But they also shift responsibility onto the worker.
Independent workers don’t receive the same protections as traditional employees. They have no guaranteed income, no employer-backed superannuation, and limited access to financial products.
“They have to figure it out themselves,” Benjemen says. And while some platforms provide opportunities to earn, they don’t necessarily provide the stability needed to build a secure financial future.
This gap between flexibility and security became the foundation for MyGigsters.
Embedding financial security into gig platforms
MyGigsters takes a different approach. Rather than building a direct-to-consumer product, the company operates as embedded fintech infrastructure, integrating directly into the platforms gig workers already use.
“We plug into the platforms where workers are,” Benjemen explains. This allows MyGigsters to deliver financial services seamlessly within existing workflows, without requiring workers to adopt new tools or systems.
The platform supports the full lifecycle of gig work, from onboarding and verification through to payment orchestration, including complex multi-party transactions. It also enables access to financial benefits such as insurance and superannuation, while providing early pay and cash flow solutions that help workers access their earnings faster.
One of its most popular features is Early Pay, which allows workers to receive income sooner rather than waiting days or even weeks for payment.
For workers managing tight cash flow, that speed can make a significant difference. “Getting paid sooner means they can manage their lives better,” he says.
From idea to infrastructure
MyGigsters wasn’t built overnight. Since its founding in 2021, the company has gone through multiple iterations. From a direct-to-consumer model focused on tax and accounting to a now a broader infrastructure solution addressing financial security at scale.
“We realised accounting wasn’t the problem,” Benjemen explains. “Instead, the real challenge was access. Access to income stability, financial tools, and long-term security.”
By changing focus, MyGigsters positioned itself to serve not just individual workers, but entire platforms and ecosystems.
Today, the company operates across multiple markets, including Australia, India and Southeast Asia, with plans for further expansion.
Scaling through ecosystem support
MyGigsters’ journey has been shaped by strong ecosystem support, including involvement with startup hubs and government-backed programs.
For Benjemen, access to the Stone and Chalk community has been critical. “It takes a village to raise a startup,” he says.
From early-stage accelerators to office space at the Stone and Chalk precinct, this environment has provided Benjemen access to networks, mentorship and opportunities that helped the business grow.
However, the most important aspect for Benjemen is connection. “You meet people who’ve done it before,” he says. “That makes a huge difference.”
A global opportunity for MyGigster
While MyGigsters is building in Australia, its ambitions are global.
The gig economy is expanding rapidly across emerging markets, where millions of workers operate with even fewer financial protections.
In regions like Southeast Asia and India, access to financial services can be limited, making the need for solutions like MyGigsters even more urgent.
“We want to be the infrastructure for gig platforms globally,” Benjemen says. The goal is simple, but ambitious. “To create a world where independent workers can enjoy the flexibility of gig work without sacrificing financial security.”
Falling in love with the problem
For Benjemen, the journey hasn’t been easy – particularly as a migrant building a business in a new country. But his advice to others is clear. “It’s possible,” he says.
There are challenges, such as navigating unfamiliar systems and building networks from scratch, but there are also opportunities, especially within supportive startup ecosystems.
Most importantly, he emphasises the need to stay focused on the problem. “Fall in love with the problem, not the solution,” he says. Because solutions will change. But if the problem matters enough, you’ll keep building until you get it right.
