Online job marketplace Elance has just announced it will give $1 million to The Startup America Partnership, the national campaign that aims to accelerate entrepreneurship, which is chaired by Steve Case, co-founder of AOL (disclosure: TechCrunch parent) and Chairman of the Case Foundation. The organization is live now in several regions across the U.S., including Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Connecticut, Florida and Texas.
The $1 million is not actually a straight cash donation, but a donation of credits.
As a part of the sponsorship, Elance is pledging service credits on its platform to all verified Startup America firms, with a total commitment of $1 million. The credit will go towards helping businesses locate new virtual team members in disciplines including I.T., programming, marketing, administrative or creative services, for example, from Elance’s global workforce.
Mountain View-based Elance has provided contractors with nearly $500 million in work since its launch. Says Startup America CEO Scott Case, “growing young companies are the job creators in our country and in order for them to scale, they need a host of vital resources. We’re excited to partner with Elance and look forward to the benefits they’ll provide Startup America Firms that are in need of virtual workers to advance their growth.”