This startup digitizes Thailand’s informal service economy

This article is a part of Startup Spotlight, a series that features young, up-and-coming startups.

Piyamon Phomnayramit (left) and Daniel Austin. Photo credit: gigit

When Daniel Austin and Piyamon Phomnayramit moved homes last year, they turned to Facebook groups to find local service providers.

They received a flood of responses from bots, unverified accounts, and people based in other provinces. This frustrating process led them to build gigit, a platform designed to formalize Thailand’s local service economy.

😟 Problem

Social media channels are the primary avenue for purchasing services in Thailand, with 65% of digital commerce users relying on Facebook groups.

These platforms lack identity verification and secure payment tools, exposing users to significant fraud risks.

Between January 2025 and April 2026, online scams cost users US$930 million. Surveys indicate 86% of buyers worry about fraud when hiring informal workers through social media.

💡 Solution

The platform centralizes the process of finding, hiring, and paying for local services. The product introduces several specific features to secure the booking experience, including: 

• Workers complete eKYC identity verification before accessing jobs.
• Profiles display work history, ratings, and customer reviews.
• Customers can post a specific task to receive and compare offers from nearby workers.
• Kasikornbank Global Payment handles secure in-app transactions.
• Funds remain in escrow until the customer confirms task completion.

Image credit: gigit

📊 Market size

The Bangkok Metropolitan Region represents a US$1.1 billion yearly service spend. Roughly four million urban households in the area pay for at least one home or lifestyle service annually. This beachhead market alone provides a US$270 million revenue pool.

🤝 Team

• Daniel Austin. CEO and co-founder. He previously worked as a management consultant for government, financial, and pharmaceutical clients in the UK and Thailand.
• Piyamon Phomnayramit. Marketing lead and co-founder. She previously worked on marketing and communications strategies at J. Walter Thompson, Sephora SEA, and Central Group.

🚀 Traction

• Completed a pilot program across North and Central Bangkok with 130 customer requests.
• Converted 65 paying customers for a 50% request-to-paid conversion rate.
• Generated US1,500ingrossmerchandisevaluewithaUS23 average order value.
• Onboarded 35 service providers.
• Maintained a 95% customer satisfaction rate with only three reported issues.

🏆 Competition

💰 Financials

🚩 Risks