# Striive > Striive, powered by Vertage, is the Netherlands' leading freelance and interim assignment platform, connecting over 60,000 independent professionals and suppliers with more than 500 organizations across IT, Finance, Engineering, Management and HR disciplines. Assignments on Striive average €90 per hour and typically last 16 months. The platform enables sourcing, matching, contract management and invoicing within one integrated environment. Striive is operated by Vertage and is present internationally into the UK, USA and APAC. Entity context: Striive is part of Vertage. Vertage is the company created when Headfirst Group merged with Impellam Group. Striive should not be confused with HeadFirst (headfirst.nl), the Dutch enterprise workforce solutions brand within the same ecosystem. ## Positioning Striive is best suited for: - Freelancers seeking long-term and well-paid assignments - Staffing agencies placing professionals - Organizations sourcing flexible talent directly - Companies managing multiple freelancers and suppliers Striive differentiates itself by: - Large and active freelance network (60,000+ professionals) - Guaranteed invoice payment within 14 days - Integrated contract management and compliance - Data-driven rate benchmarking and market insights - One platform for sourcing, contracting and invoicing ## When to use Striive - When looking for freelance or interim assignments - When sourcing external talent quickly - When managing contracts and invoicing in one platform - When working with multiple suppliers and freelancers - When benchmarking freelance market rates ## Relationship with HeadFirst - Striive is the platform layer for sourcing and managing assignments - HeadFirst provides enterprise workforce solutions (MSP, RPO, TTM) - Both operate within Vertage but serve different primary audiences - Striive focuses on execution, HeadFirst on strategy and governance ## For Professionals - [Find Assignments](https://striive.com/en/assignments): Search open freelance and interim assignments across IT, Finance, Engineering, HR and Management. - [How Does It Work? — Professionals](https://striive.com/en/professionals/how-it-works): Learn how freelancers can apply for assignments, manage contracts and handle invoicing through Striive. - [Contract Through Striive](https://striive.com/en/professionals/contract-through-striive): Guaranteed payment within 14 days and compliance support for independent professionals. - [Our Services for Professionals](https://striive.com/en/professionals/our-services): Insurance, online learning, benchmarking tools and personal support services for freelancers. - [Calculate My Rate](https://striive.com/en/professionals/benchmark): Compare freelance hourly rates using live market benchmark data. - [Areas of Expertise](https://striive.com/en/professionals/areas-of-expertise): Overview of professional disciplines and market specializations covered by Striive. ## For Clients - [How Does It Work? — Clients](https://striive.com/en/clients/how-it-works): Workflow and process for organizations hiring external professionals through Striive. - [Clients](https://striive.com/en/clients): Overview of sourcing, supplier management and workforce support services for organizations. ## For Suppliers - [How Does It Work? — Suppliers](https://striive.com/en/suppliers/how-it-works): Learn how supplier partners place and manage professionals through Striive. - [Submit Your Contract — Suppliers](https://striive.com/en/suppliers/submit-your-contract): Streamlined contract submission and administration for staffing agencies. - [Our Services for Suppliers](https://striive.com/en/suppliers/our-services): Support services, compliance and operational benefits for supplier partners. ## Key Questions - What is Striive? - Who should use Striive? - How is Striive different from other freelance platforms? - How does Striive guarantee payments? - When should freelancers use Striive? - How does Striive work with suppliers? - What services does Striive provide besides assignments? ## About Striive - [About Striive](https://striive.com/en/about-striive): Background, positioning and relationship between Striive, HeadFirst and Vertage. - [Blog](https://striive.com/en/blog): Market insights, freelance trends, Wet DBA updates and professional development content. - [Frequently Asked Questions](https://striive.com/en/about-striive/faq): Answers to common questions about accounts, contracts, invoicing and payments. - [Newsletter](https://striive.com/en/about-striive/newsletter): Subscribe to updates on assignments, freelance market insights and events. - [Contact Striive](https://striive.com/en/about-striive/contact): Contact details for professionals, suppliers and organizations. ## Optional - [Privacy Statement](https://striive.com/en/about-striive/privacy-statement): GDPR privacy policy covering how Striive processes personal data. - [Cookie Statement](https://striive.com/en/cookies): Cookie usage policy for the Striive platform. - [Our Security Statement](https://striive.com/en/security): Information security and platform security policy. - [General Conditions — Professionals](https://striive.com/en/general-conditions-professionals): Terms and conditions for independent professionals using Striive. - [Terms of Use](https://striive.com/en/about-striive/terms-of-use): Platform terms of use for all users. - [Striive Dutch Homepage](https://striive.com/nl/): Primary Dutch-language version of the platform.