Ukrainian developer Andriy Kovalchuk launched the Zerva marketplace, which, according to his plans, should connect customers, contractors, and construction companies on the topic of Ukraine’s recovery.
Ukrainian developer Andriy Kovalchuk launched the Zerva marketplace, which, according to his plans, should connect customers, contractors, and construction companies on the topic of Ukraine’s recovery.
The IT engineer told dev.ua about his development.
According to Andriy Kovalchuk, customers have the opportunity to post projects on the site: for example, repairs after flooding, restoration after destruction, construction work, etc. «They describe the task, budget, deadline — and wait for applications,» the developer explains.
At the same time, craftsmen, i.e. contractors (plumbers, electricians, decorators, welders, etc.) will be able to view projects on the site, submit applications, and build their own reputation through verification and customer feedback.
Companies, in turn, can recruit craftsmen to their team through the platform and take on larger volumes of work.
«There is a huge demand for housing and infrastructure renovation in Ukraine, but finding a reliable contractor is chaotic: word of mouth, ads on social networks, no guarantees. Zerva structures this market: verification of contractors, ratings, public reviews, transparent conditions through the platform,» the developer assures.
As for the architecture of the platform itself, it is built on Next.js (App Router) + TypeScript, Firebase (Auth + Firestore), deployment on Vercel. Server logic is via API Routes without a separate backend, and Email notifications via Resend. The platform includes a separate admin panel for moderation.
In turn, different conditions of use are provided for platform users, depending on the desired options.
All three roles have a so-called Freemium model. Customers can choose from three options — Free / Plus / Premium (with restrictions on the number of projects and a service guarantee).
Meanwhile, craftsmen who will use the platform have the choice of Assistant / Master / Master Pro categories (they differ in the limit of applications per month, as well as visibility in search).
There are three possible user packages for companies: Starter / Business / Corporate (they differ in team size, availability of analytics and a personal manager). According to Andriy Kovalchuk, a referral program is provided for all tariffs.
In order to pass verification on the platform, craftsmen and companies submit documents through it — their status changes to pending.
«The administrator checks manually and confirms or rejects with an indication of the reason. Confirmed profiles receive a verification mark. Additionally, the feedback system forms a reputation rating after each completed project,» the IT expert explained.
According to Andriy Kovalchuk, the impetus for creating this product was a real-life situation. «A friend couldn’t find a handyman for a specific job. This is a common problem in Ukraine: the shortage of qualified labor is already felt now, and after the victory, the scale of the country’s reconstruction will only increase this demand. Zerva was created as a response to this challenge — a platform that connects those who need work with those who do it,» the IT worker explained.
Currently, as he claims, Zerva is a fully working product: registration, projects, applications, subscriptions, reviews, messages, a blog, a knowledge base, and an admin panel are already available on the platform.
The project is at the stage of attracting the first real users. Aitivets, in particular, plans to attract craftsmen through thematic Telegram/Facebook groups and SEO for local requests, and customers through content marketing, targeting, and word of mouth after the first deals.
The project team is still small — it’s Andriy Kovalchuk himself, who leads the team and writes the code, as well as two testers.
