Dr. David Urpani (a doctor of Artificial Intelligence) co-founded iSelect - Australia's largest and most successful online insurance comparison portal ... turning it in to a multi-million dollar powerhouse. He is now on to his next venture, which he's named moneytribe. Listen in as David shares his insights in to:

How he went from being an architect to a doctor of artificial intelligence to starting iSelect.
How a tennis match and a freak roller blading accident lead to the creation of moneytribe.
The importance of tapping in to social capital in getting an idea off the ground ... or for that matter - basing an entire idea around social capital.
The rise of the social search engine.
Why it made sense to create moneytribe as an app and not a website.
How he plans to monetise moneytribe without losing it's independence and objectivity.

 

During the interview, we talk about the soft launch moneytribe did recently. To tis end, here's the email David sent to some freinds and family to softly launch MoneyTribe last month:
Hi [Insert Name] ...
  
As you know I have been working on a new startup - well, we went live with moneytribe Thursday night at 11.30 pm.  I thought I would target a few choice friends who are social influencers & butterfiles! 

We are, at this early stage in the life of moneytribe, aiming to spearhead a grass root drive to build authentic members ... moneytribe's value is predicated on having people provide content as they themselves learn about their purchases and where they sit relative to their peers.  To this end I wonder whether you would be able to 'spread the word' to at least ten of your family & friends (who hopefully, might, in turn, be persuaded to spread the word to ten of their family & friends).  This way the moneytribe service will quickly start to generate useful intelligence to its users, the moneytribe members.  If you are happy to spread the word, that would be much appreciated and I include below a script we have been using.

Moneytibe now available on the Australian Apple iTunes StoreToday we released Version 1 of moneytribe for iPhone on the Australian iTunes App Store.  You can download it here.  It’s free and anonymous.

moneytribe connects you with other people who have the same financial products as you.  It helps you compare what you have, are paying, doing and saying with other people like you to help you save time and money and keep your providers honest.  Happy? Discontent? Switching? Find out if others feel the same way.

We’re building a whole new way for people to compare and get advice on financial products based around trusted peers (your ‘tribes’) as well as third party brokers and providers.  And our members always come first. No ads. No pressure. No stress.

The more people who use moneytribe the more powerful it will become.  It's early days and we need some tribe leaders to sign-up, share what they have and then tell their friends and family to join.

So stand up and be counted – join moneytribe today and take the power back.
Links & Resources Mentioned In This Episode ..
MoneyTribe website - David's current business.

Download the MoneyTribe app from the App Store.

iSelect - David's first business.

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