people.io, a new service that allows consumers to dynamically license their data and attention to brands and be rewarded for it, today announced a major strategic partnership with Wayra Munich, the Telefónica backed accelerator programme. The deal, which combines a six figure investment with strategic support to help develop the business, will allow the London-based startup to expand its reach onto mainland Europe by the end of the year.
Since its UK launch in the beginning of this year, thousands of beta users registered for the service, helping to refine the experience ahead of a nationwide roll out later in the year. The partnership with Wayra Munich means that people.io is set to launch operations in Germany by Q3 2016 reaching Europe’s largest consumer market. people.io aims to reward users for taking control of their personal data, help them better engage with the brands they want to hear from and receive a fairer value exchange in return.
Wayra Munich is going to provide people.io with access to not only to funding but also to some of the best brains in technology, programming, UX and marketing. people.io’s founder and CEO, Nicholas Oliver will also be personally mentored by media industry veteran John Craig and Florian Marquart, Director of Digitalization at Telefónica Germany.
Nicholas Oliver, founder and CEO of people.io stated: “Less than a year ago, people.io was a passion-led vision and a few slides in a deck. It’s incredible to think how far we’ve come with a handful of dedicated people, hard work, late nights and incredible industry support. This deal with one of Europe’s most respected accelerator programmes, backed by one of the world’s biggest telcos will enable us to take our vision and scale at an even faster rate. Germany is a particularly interesting market to us as it leads the way in data privacy and EU regulation. The support we have had from both Telefónica Germany and Wayra Munich has really helped us refine our business and prepare for growth and we are now looking to hire a great team in market.”
Garan Goodman, Managing Director, Wayra Munich added: “We strongly believe that results gained from big data analysis will lead to new ideas and solutions in various spheres of life – including mobility, health, private consumption and public administration. In this context, people.io is a great example how customers can strike a balance between benefits their data provide while at the same time putting them back in control over their personal data. Nicholas Oliver stands out in a crowded market of entrepreneurs who want to change the world. Coupled with the clear focus on the management of consumer data, investing in people.io was a no brainer for Wayra Munich.”
People.io CEO Nicholas Oliver has recently been interviewed by the Startup Van. Check out the interview below to learn more about the idea behind People.io:
