22 talent platforms where freelance strategy consultants find projects

In 2012 I worked for a firm called a-connect that gave me my first exposure to the “future of work” — nobody was calling it that yet, but I saw a clear shift. Our firm staffed independent professionals, many of which were alumni from firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG, but many were experts with experience in specific domains like pharmaceutical manufacturing, leadership training facilitation, and six sigma.

The consultants I met and talked to seemed energized, fulfilled, and pretty damn happy. This despite often not knowing what their work schedule or earnings would be more than three or six months ahead of time. The trade offs in certainty and comfort of full-time employment seemed to be more than offset by increased autonomy and control.

From my first exposure to this world, I knew it was a step I might want to take. Five years later, I had the courage to finally take the leap.

I wrote the first version of this guide in July 2017, soon after going out on my own, as a map of the talent platforms open to independent strategy consultants. This version, updated in October 2026, keeps the ones I’d still point people to, adds five I hadn’t covered, and notes what each one’s own site says now. The rest of what I learned about going independent, from healthcare to legal structure, is in my freelance consulting playbook.

This was the map in the first version. Six of the 17 names on it now redirect elsewhere, go by a new name, or no longer load.

Two years after the first version, I added up how platforms had worked for me: about 250 pitches on more than 10 platforms, and 6–7 projects worth less than $20,000 in gross fees. I wrote about why in The failed promise of freelance consulting talent platforms.

Two things separate these platforms: who does the work of finding and scoping a project, and who’s in the talent pool. Three of them, Umbrex, Eden McCallum, and Movemeon, are built mostly for former strategy consultants.

Agencies find and scope the projects, then bring you in

These are companies that have a “high-touch” approach to the independent consulting world and tend to invest a lot of internal resources on developing strong client relationships. These companies typically have full-time employees that find projects and also recruit top talent to join their network. There is often little or no transparency on the flow of projects that the company has coming in, but all projects tend to be highly vetted and with high-priority clients for these firms. In 2017 I estimated that these firms build their businesses around a 30–40% margin.

Business Talent Group: BTG is based in the US, and when I first wrote this it seemed to have one of the strongest project pipelines in this group. Heidrick & Struggles, the executive search firm, bought BTG in 2021. BTG now places interim executives as well as project consultants, and you apply through the Join as Talent page on its site.

a-connect: I worked at this firm. They focus on “project execution,” and the projects range from solo experts to large teams supporting global transformation projects. They are based in Switzerland. Its site now lists four industries (life sciences, agribusiness, food, and private equity) and says its projects have been delivered by 1,800 independent consultants.

Eden McCallum: Very similar to a-connect and BTG, but based in London, with a second office in Amsterdam. I haven’t run across them in the US. Its site says it accepts one in ten independent consultants who apply, all with experience at top-tier management consulting firms.

HighPoint Associates: A US-based firm. I don’t have much experience with them, but imagine they are very similar to a-connect, BTG, and Eden McCallum. You can apply through the Join Our Network page on its site.

10EQS: In 2017 they had a strong platform, but it was one-sided. You couldn’t see all the project opportunities, and they had internal people that pinged you about potential projects. 10EQS now sells research and strategy projects that run from one-to-three-week sprints to engagements of six to eight weeks or more, staffed with virtual teams of consultants and industry experts. Experts sign up through its Join our Experts page.

Expert360: An on-demand talent platform for companies in Australia and New Zealand. Its site says a client who describes a project gets a shortlist of vetted experts, typically within two business days, and that only the top 10% of applicants are accepted into the network.

expertPowerhouse: With offices in Düsseldorf, Cologne, and Mumbai, expertPowerhouse has matched vetted consultants and experts with companies since 2016, for project work, expert insights, and interim management.

Malt Strategy: This was Comatch, one of the 25 platforms I’d engaged with by 2019, and comatch.com now forwards here. Malt Strategy describes itself as “an exclusive community of vetted management consultants and interim executives,” and it matches them with companies.

Consultport: A platform that connects companies with independent consultants, interim managers, and digital experts, and says it supports each project end to end. Consultants sign up through its For Consultants page.

GLG, the expert network, ran a short-term projects arm called Strategic Projects when I first wrote this. That page now forwards to GLG’s expert-led research service. Guidepoint, another expert network, offers paid calls and surveys rather than project work.

Toptal and Gigster screen hard and keep control of staffing

In the 2019 essay I held these two up as the kind of platform freelancers would want to work with.

Toptal: Toptal still advertises that clients can “Hire the Top 3% of Freelance Talent.” Its network now includes management consultants, listed as “finance experts, business strategists, M&A consultants, financial modelers, and more,” alongside developers, designers, and project managers.

Gigster: Gigster builds software for clients from a network it says has 50,000 vetted developers, designers, and product experts. In its fully managed model, it takes ownership of the project from start to finish.

Recruiters list contract roles next to full-time jobs

These firms are similar in the underlying business model to the agencies above but set up closer to the business model of a recruiting firm. They have a limited one-way technology platform and transparency of current projects. Given these firms are full-time focused, their freelance internal margins may vary, but in 2017 I guessed they range from 20–40%.

ECA Partners: When I first wrote this, it was Ex-Consultants Agency, with offices in LA, Chicago, and Miami, focused on full-time opportunities but also with a decent amount of contract work. Its old address now forwards to ECA Partners, which focuses on executive search for private equity firms and their portfolio companies and also places on-demand consultants and interim executives. Its head office is in Santa Monica.

Mindbench: A recruiter that works only in management consulting. It places both permanent and interim consultants.

Movemeon: The Movemeon Group calls itself “a global ecosystem for ex-consulting and finance professionals.” It runs executive search for private equity funds, companies, and consultancies, and its freelance and interim service places ex-consultants with operating experience in interim roles and on transformation work. You join its network online, then browse jobs and projects there.

In open marketplaces, you find and pitch the projects yourself

These companies are talent-focused and use technology to make the entire process transparent. They offer clients and independent consultants a way to interact directly. They give up some control over the quality of projects and of the consultants who can join, and make up for it in ease of use and scale. In 2017 I estimated their margins at about 20% (Catalant) to 25% (Talmix).

Catalant: Formerly HourlyNerd. When I first wrote this, the platform was two-sided, meaning freelance consultants and clients could interact directly, and it supported proposals, call scheduling, contracting, and fee negotiation. Catalant now sells companies what it calls “fit-to-purpose consulting,” drawing on a community it describes as “elite consulting firm alumni and former Fortune 500 operators.” Its page for independent consultants describes the same process as before: you apply to be verified, search for projects, pitch, interview with the client, and submit a proposal.

High5: Formerly Talmix, and before that MBA & Company, this company also started as a tech platform. When I first wrote this, it was two-sided, meaning you could interact directly with clients through a proposal, and most of the projects were in Europe, with an increasing number in the US. The old talmix.com address now forwards to High5, which describes itself as a marketplace for independent business and consulting talent and shows its latest projects by region.

Upwork: Much more centered on tech (data scientists, programmers, online marketing, etc.), but I signed up anyway just to explore the platform. Within the first day, a potential client reached out looking for someone with strategy consulting experience. In 2017 it was probably the most user-friendly platform, with a lot of tools and resources built in, including video chat and phone calls. Its categories today run from AI services and development to finance and accounting, legal, and HR.

PeoplePerHour: A general freelance marketplace with a Business category alongside design, writing, and tech work. It says 60% of its freelancers and clients are in the UK.

Flexing It: A marketplace for India and Southeast Asia with, it says, over 80,000 independent consultants and domain experts. Clients post projects, and consultants apply to them.

Outsized: Independent talent for financial services. It connects banks, insurers, payments firms, fintechs, and financial services consulting firms with vetted independent consultants, and lists live opportunities on its site that you can apply to.

Umbrex works more like a community than a marketplace

Umbrex: Will Bachman, a fellow independent consultant, started Umbrex for strategy consultants (typically coming from top firms like McKinsey, Bain, or BCG), with a focus on professional development, camaraderie, and community. In 2019, as a member, I wrote that it had a “dramatically different feel than the technology-based talent platforms,” and that Bachman was open about the fees he takes and shared a cut with members who refer projects. Its site is now built for companies looking to hire an independent consultant, and says over 90% of its consultants are McKinsey, Bain, or BCG alumni, in more than 50 countries. Its join page says it has more than 8,500 members, has staffed more than 1,000 projects, and shares 20+ project opportunities with members each week.

Consulting firms’ own talent pools fill roles on their current projects

These networks emerged around 2016 and 2017 as a way for consulting firms to bring independent consultants onto work for their current clients. Since they are finding talent on current projects, this model likely doesn’t assume a fixed margin, but instead is priced within the context of the project economics.

PwC Talent Exchange: In 2017 it had a pretty large number of opportunities in the risk, accounting, and technology space for current PwC engagements. I applied for a role and my information went into the cloud, with me never hearing back. It’s still running for PwC in the US: you share your skills, availability, rate, and travel preferences, and it sends you matching roles, or you search the open ones yourself.

As I wrote in the playbook, you can join platforms like Catalant, PwC, and Upwork before you become a full-time freelancer, while a-connect, Umbrex, and BTG want you to be on your own first.