Interview with Julian Bourne, CEO & Founder of Proxpro.com

by Anthony Cohn of People Search News

PSN: So what exactly is Proxpro?

Julian Bourne: Proxpro (www.proxpro.com) is an award winning provider of "situation aware" mobile software. The company focuses on the emerging prosumer (professional consumer) mobile market providing content and applications that are useful, career enhancing and fun. Proxpro 's first product, "Research People", helps professionals always be prepared for business by delivering to their mobile phones consolidated employment histories, bios and often photographs for up to 35 million executives. In April 2006, Proxpro's patent-pending product "Locate People" won Best Social Networking Application at the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge. "Locate People" enables you to arrange impromptu meetings with existing friends or new business contacts in the nearby vicinity. Whether you simply wish to meet for a cup of coffee or have a couple of hours to burn while you are traveling, Proxpro puts you in the picture.

PSN: How did you come up with the idea for Proxpro?

Julian Bourne: Proxpro believes there is value in degrees of proximity as well as degrees of separation. If people can transcend the trivialities of small talk and find common ground, they will use their time more efficiently and be more successful. My "eureka" moment was during a particularly grueling business trip in 1998. My mind was on a pressing business problem and the solution was dependent on a deep understanding of a future market. By chance, in an airport lounge, I sat next an industry analyst, a leading expert in this market. We got talking and by the end of our conversation he had helped me significantly - and offered to send me some industry reports that otherwise would have cost thousands. I went away thinking this sort of serendipitous meeting shouldn't happen just by chance. Towards the end of 2003 the technology to build the Proxpro platform was emerging and I laid out plans for this new solution.

PSN: How many current subscribers do you have?

Julian Bourne: Proxpro has 1,800 customers and has seen a recent acceleration of subscribers since we launched on Verizon Wireless in addition to Sprint and AT&T / Cingular.

PSN: Where do you get your data from?

Julian Bourne: Proxpro's professional summaries originate from publicly available information from the web. Proxpro is partnered with Zoom Information Inc., the leading summarization search engine, which crawls millions of web pages looking for career information. Relevant data is distilled out and combined to produce resumé quality summaries of people's careers. Dig deeper and you can learn about the companies, how these people can be reached and other key people at these companies.

PSN: What types of professionals are listed in Proxpro?

Julian Bourne: With 35 million profiles, Proxpro has just about any professional who has a web presence. If someone has been mentioned in a press release or has his/her bio on a website you'll find them with Proxpro. Importantly Proxpro only focuses on career information. Proxpro is a fantastic tool as it covers all levels of management, all industries, including technology, government, healthcare, academic, the military and the professions.

PSN: How does the process of searching for someone using Proxpro work?

Julian Bourne: Simple. Enter a name into the search box, an employer if you know it. Within seconds you have a consolidated career history, a bio and often a photo too. The speed is mesmerizing, so is the detail, all in one place!

Our customers are high flying bankers, lawyers and accountants who use Proxpro before meeting clients; the best search consultants and job seekers before interviews; conference commandos and high performance sales people for lead generation and qualification; Careful real estate agents who want to qualify clients for safety reasons or close sales fast; Busy VCs and the technology entrepreneurs who want to impress them. Proxpro is great for any professional determined to get the job done. It's fun too.

PSN: Do you have any suggestions on how someone could apply information that he or she learned about a colleague from Proxpro when meeting that professional for the first time?

Julian Bourne: Being unprepared for a meeting is unacceptable. Making a good impression can not be left to chance. To secure a deal or make a sale you have to step into your counterpart's world. Understand their priorities, know their proudest achievements. A meeting that is as bland a bank as transaction is likely to be time wasted for everyone. With Proxpro you can humanize the meeting, bond and have fun. There's no need to be shy about mentioning the research you've done either. Recently I heard Warren Buffett mention he'd researched a business contact before meeting them. People are always flattered when they hear you have taken the trouble to prepare.

PSN: How do you feel about the current state of Mobile Social Software (MoSoSo)?

Julian Bourne: Proxpro delivered the world's first LBS social networking application in 2004. Three years on the industry is somewhere between shaking the bottle of champagne and popping the cork! Loopt and Boost mobile, with venture capitalists Sequoia's backing, has proven adoption and are here to stay. The challenge is to align the interests of the consumer, the carrier and the service provider. Focused on people aged 25-45, Proxpro offers a whole new twist to suit prosumer's lifestyles.

PSN: Do you think that most internet users are familiar with MoSoSo technology?

Julian Bourne: Content discovery is mostly undertaken through the cell phone browser. The rise of the prosumer has driven much of the recent success for smart phone manufacturers. The carrier commercial engines, which have been predominantly youth focused, are now aligning with the same trend. We believe there is a pent up demand for prosumer software, including social software, designed to fit the lifestyles of established executives.

PSN: How can someone purchase Proxpro or find out more information?

Julian Bourne: Easy. Try Proxpro for free for 30 days by texting "Go" to 47769. It's available on any AT&T/ Cingular, Verizon or Sprint device with a data plan. It's then just $4.99 / month thereafter. They can also visit www.proxpro.com and register online.