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ThoughtWorks in the Dopplr 100 November 8, 2007

Posted by James Webster in : web , add a comment

It is slightly old news but it appears that ThoughtWorks has been added to the Dopplr 100; hopefully those colleagues of mine who find themselves traveling frequently can make use of this service to bring more serendipity into their lives. More on the Dopplr 100 here and also the MBA 100.

What is Dopplr? In their own words…

How does Dopplr work? Dopplr lets you share your future travel plans with a group of trusted fellow travellers whom you have chosen. It also reminds you of friends and colleagues who live in the cities you’re planning to visit. For example, Dopplr might tell you that three of your trusted friends and colleagues will be in Barcelona when you are planning to be there.

Thanks for the invitation Dopplrs!

P2P lending levels up… November 3, 2007

Posted by James Webster in : web, finance , 1 comment so far

At the end of a previous post on microfinance and P2P lending I mentioned the US firm named Prosper. Now TechCrunch reports that they have submitted a proposal to the SEC for a secondary market for the loans that Prosper helps originate. I wonder if an OTC derivatives market won’t be too far behind…

I also wondered when Australia and New Zealand might see such an operation; a few days ago Finextra reported on iGrin which has been established by a former Commonwealth Bank executive.

These startups are small at the moment but are representing a growing threat to the traditional intermediaries. From the Finextra article:

Research released earlier this year by the Social Futures Observatory found that peer-to-peer social lending networks represented a serious threat to the traditional banking industry. The UK study found that 74% of Brits would consider borrowing or lending through an online “social lending” community, and that as many as 61% don’t trust their banks.

Meanwhile more microfinance ventures have started up:

As a keen “lender” via Kiva (here’s my Kiva portfolio) I was curious about the differences between Kiva and MicroPlace. Josh also linked to an article on WorldChanging which provides some insight into the differences:

Are Kiva and MicroPlace competitors? Yes and no. On the one hand, they compete for lenders and have similar models.

On the other hand, Kiva is filling an unmet need in terms of providing a direct, peer-to-peer portal on which lenders and borrowers can connect. MicroPlace, meanwhile, is more businesslike - it offers a portal where profit-conscious investors can get involved in microfinance without totally compromising on rate of return.

With the rapid growth in these microfinance portals I think it might be time for The MIX Market to add them to the list of organisations that they monitor.