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

nterview 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?