Kyle
A new startup based in Columbus Ohio and Phoenix Arizona, called Huddlewoo, is launching today. This video platform gives ordinary people like me and you access to people we admire. Huddlewoo also lets ordinary people show off the things that they are extraordinary at.
Through Huddlewoo’s unique platform you can schedule 1:1 video conversations with people that you may not get the opportunity to meet in person.
Huddlewoo users create a profile and highlight what they are extraordinary at. The user than sets up an availability calendar through a tool within the web app. Once those two things are in place the user can set a price for their time, they can then decide if they want to make a little extra income or donate the fees from the video sessions to charity.
Are you a Zen SEO master and want to share a few tips in private settings? How much do you think that information is worth? You can set the price and the times and wait for people to line up to have Huddlewoo sessions with you. Maybe you’re a great baker and want to share some kitchen tips for making the best cupcakes, you can do that too. Whatever you are extraordinary at and willing to share (even for money) can be added in your profile and easily discovered by other members of the Huddlewoo community.
This unique video, mentoring, online class hybrid, startup opens up in alpha today. We got a chance to talk with the Huddlewoo team as they prepared for their alpha launch.
Check out the interview below.
What is HuddleWoo?
Huddlewoo is a live video platform that will give ordinary people access to the extraordinary people they admire. We believe that extraordinary is innate in every person, and it is often the conversations we have with others that help us to dream bigger and pursue those dreams.
In layman’s terms, how does it work? (In other words how would you explain it to your grandmother)
A user creates a free profile where there are three important things we focus on. 1) What are they extraordinary at? (Those few things that a person has passion for, experience with and can have an intelligent conversation about. 2) They set their availability- There is an easy calendar feature that allows users to control their availability and when they will let others access them. 3) The value of their time- Users can set a monetary value for their time. That can be used as personal income or donated to a charity of their choice (the charitable donation option will begin in January 2013). And of course, a person can give away their time for free. For instance, if I wanted access to Brad Feld to have a face-to-face conversation about startups it would be difficult to do now. With Huddlewoo, I could look at his profile to select a time he has made available, pay the value he has placed on his time, and on that day/time have a live video conversation with him. We have a good conversation. He inspires me with his journey. And he monetizes his time.
Who are the founders and what are their backgrounds?
Will Zell (CEO) is based in Columbus, OH, and is an Empact100 entrepreneur who was honored at The White House in 2011. His main company Providence Holdings has invested in real estate and several small businesses. He attended The Ohio State University where he studied business.
Mathew Brian (Chief Creative Officer) is also based in Columbus, OH, and is behind the strong branding effort of Huddlewoo. He also serves as the Chief Creative Officer for Will Zell’s Providence Holdings. Beyond that he owns his own branding company where he takes on two clients per month in addition to his duties with Huddlewoo and Providence Holdings. He also attended The Ohio State University.
Zach Ferres (Chief Technology Officer) has been an entrepreneur since the age of 15. A graduate of Ohio Northern University, Ferres built a digital marketing agency called BounceFire, which was acquired in May 2011 by a company in Phoenix, AZ. Ferres and his team moved to Arizona. Along with helping build Huddlewoo, Ferres is building a web marketing agency called Ciplex and also runs a company called Creative Priority that helps web marketing companies become more successful.
Where are you based?
We are an agile team. Our developers are based in Phoenix, AZ and the operations are based in Columbus, OH. Our Community Manager is based in Washington, DC.
What’s the startup scene/culture like where you’re based?
The startup scenes in Phoenix and Columbus are strong. Columbus has been nationally recognized for its growing tech startup ecosystem.
How did you come up with the idea for HuddleWoo?
I was named to the 2011 Empact100 list (iempact.com), and was honored at the White House for his accomplishment. I also attended the 2011 FEE Summit in conjunction with the Empact100 event. At the FEE Summit, Jeff Hoffman, one of the founding team members for Priceline.com, gave a keynote speech where he challenged the audience to come up with a way to connect fledgling entrepreneurs in places like Egypt and South America with successful entrepreneurs that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to. That challenge stuck with me and a couple weeks later became the idea that grew into Huddlewoo. That was in November of 2011 and we launch Alpha in November 2012.
How did you come up with the name?
Huddlewoo is passionate about conversations. We are not a platform for education, or skill sharing, in as much as we are focused on inspiring conversations between two people. In a huddle there should be two things exchanged, information and inspiration. On our platform the conversations should include information (a person’s journey/accomplishment/etc.) and inspiration (the passion and struggle, ups and downs of that journey).
We want to give people the opportunity to have access to those they consider extraordinary. Whether that is a person’s favorite author, blogger, speaker, celebrity or athlete, we will make it possible to have access to people you otherwise wouldn’t have. “Woo” is the physical expression that is the result of meeting an extraordinary person. The physical expression, whether a smile, laugh or screaming and running around the room, we have condensed and defined those expression as “woo” (think “wwwwwoooooooooooooo”).
What problem does Huddlewoo solve?
We solve the problem of access. Social networks have given us the ability to connect like never before, but personal access remains uncommon. We make it simple for people to offer access to their existing social networks, and give them the tools to make giving access make sense (control over availability, the ability to monetize that time, social sharing, an intuitive and beautifully designed website).
What’s your secret sauce?
Our secret sauce is we empower our users with the tools to provide access, that benefit them. We believe a conversation with the right person can change someones life. We are the platform that provides that opportunity.
Are you bootstrapped or funded?
Bootstrapped. The old leather kind! It has been personally funded and also there is a friend that has provided seed money. We adhere to Lean Startup principles and will bring our MVP to the market on November 1.
What is your go to market strategy?
Sharing our message and mission through awesome platforms like Nibletz! Our November 1st launch is to a limited group of Alpha users (around 100). These users will test the platform and idea of being able to leverage existing social networks for one on one conversations. As we continue to develop our main growth strategy will be through our users leveraging their networks which will bring more users. If we have done our job correctly, the user will enjoy the experience and see the value in the platform. Word of mouth will be important for us. We also have several creative marketing strategies that we will deploy, none of which I can speak to now! :)
What’s one challenge you’ve overcome in the startup process?
For me this has been the first time I have worked with an agile team spread across the country. This presented a lot of discomfort for me initially, but I soon discovered that the people we have on our team are self-motivated and trustworthy. They have done an amazing job! I cannot speak enough about the quality people we have on our team.
The last six months of my life also presented many life challenges for me, most significantly the sickness and passing of my father. There were disruptive events in most areas in my life and yet at the same time I was working on the pursuit of this dream called Huddlewoo. The personal challenges I faced strengthened my resolve that the best thing a person can share with another is not the outcome of their success, but rather the stories of their journey to get there.
Who are some of your mentors and business role models?
I have two mentors that I care deeply about. The first is the Senior Pastor at my church, Robin Ricks. He has taught me how to live inspired. The second is a fellow entrepreneur, Jason Duff. He gave me mentorship and friendship and really great advice as I was beginning my entrepreneurial journey.
There are many other people I can thank (and would love to have a conversation with!) that have shaped our philosophy and business. Two I would like to mention are Seth Godin (“Tribes”) and Eric Ries (“The Lean Startup”). Their respective philosophies have guided our mission and development.
What’s next for Huddlewoo?
We will have our first iteration as a Beta launch in January 2013. This launch will open Huddlewoo to the masses. As we continue to learn from our users, our focus will be simple. Continue to add features and tools that help them to be inspirational and to be inspired, giving them the best possible experience for the time they choose to spend with us! :)
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