hipages

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Hipages Group)
Jump to: navigation, search
hipages
Hipages logo.png
Founded 2004
Headquarters Sydney, Australia
Founder(s)
  • David Vitek, CEO
  • Robert Sharon-Zipser, COO
[1][2]
Industry Online directory services
Products Home Improvement Pages, Natural Therapy Pages, Pet Pages
Employees 200[3]
Website www.hipages.com.au
Alexa rank 15,844 (Australia)[4]
Current status Active

hipages is an Australian company that provides online service directories and lead generation in various industries such as the home improvement and tradesmen sector, pet services, and natural therapies.[5]

hipages facilitates an online connection between consumers and professionals in designated fields of service.[6]

History[edit]

hipages was founded in 2004 by David Vitek and Robert Sharon-Zipser.[7] Prior to being the Chief executive officer of hipages Group, Vitek worked as an engineer at IBM.[5][8] The initial focus of the company was on natural therapies until the co-founders realised the potential their services had in the home improvement sector.[5]

The company originally designed the directory service websites on a subscription-based model, in which businesses paid to be listed on the site, but later changed to a cost-per-lead model.[9]

hipages entered into a partnership with IKEA in 2013 to assist consumers in locating tradesmen to install their kitchen benches and cabinets.[10]

By 2014, the user base consisted of over 500,000 users and around one million visitors to the website each month.[7][11][12]

In May 2014, hipages received $6 million in funding from various investors such as Ellerston Capital, Australian Ethical Investment, and KTM Capital.[13][14] Right Click Capital, a technology-focused advisory firm, managed the capital raising.[13] In 2015, hipages transferred most of its IT systems to Amazon Web Services, Amazon's public cloud.[15]

In June 2015, the group raised an additional $6 million in funding from existing investors, along with Kestrel Capital.[16]

Services[edit]

Instead of generating service commissions, hipages generates revenue from member fees.[14] The company offers three different websites that use algorithms to match consumers with businesses and professionals based on the trade category, location, feedback, and other relevant information.[17]

Home Improvement Pages[edit]

The name "hipages" stems from the abbreviation of the Home Improvement Pages.[7]

hipages offers directory services that connect consumers to registered tradesmen from 1,100 categories for tasks such as painting, tiling, and other home repairs or renovations.[18][19]

hipages uploads approximately 80,000 job posts from customers per month to its home improvement page which has a user base of over 500,000 consumer members.[11][12] In May 2015, hipages reported $1.35 billion in job value on its platform over a 12-month period.[20]

Pet Pages[edit]

The Pet Pages website is a directory service that allows consumers to search and find local pet services and businesses like breeders or veterinarian offices. The directory also assists in finding other pet oriented things such as pet stores, accessories, and training.[21]

Natural Therapy Pages[edit]

Initially, the Natural Therapy Pages was the first website developed by Vitek in 2004.[19][22] The idea came from Vitek's interest in health and the desire to start his own business.[22] The Natural Therapy Pages website features relevant health, nutrition and naturopathy articles along with a directory linking users to treatment facilities, doctors and practitioners, and other natural therapy services.[23]

Recognition[edit]

The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia program ranked hipages Group (named Viteknologies at the time) 6th for the fastest growing Australian companies in 2008.[24]

In 2011, BRW ranked Viteknologies, now hipages Group, as 28th on their list of the Best Places to Work in Australia.[25] hipages was ranked 21st on BRW's list of Most Innovative Companies of 2013.[17]

hipages was listed in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia for the second consecutive year in November 2014.[26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "David Vitek". Smart Company. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  2. ^ LeMay, Renai (8 May 2014). "Tradie search site hipages.com.au takes $6m". Delimiter. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  3. ^ Ward, Miranda (7 Dec 2015). "News Corp acquires 25 per cent stake in tradespeople classifieds website hipages". Mumbrella. Retrieved 7 Dec 2015. 
  4. ^ "Site Overview". Alexa. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  5. ^ a b c Bindi, Tasnuva (7 May 2014). "hipages still dominates the market as younger startups attempt to overhaul". Startup Daily. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  6. ^ Edwards, Verity (17 May 2014). "Building the tradie network". The Australian. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  7. ^ a b c Huang, Elaine (14 May 2014). "Decade-old home improvement portal hipages secures US$5.6M in funding". e27. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  8. ^ Papadakis, Marianna (18 April 2013). "CEO Q&A: David Vitek, chief executive, hipages Group". BRW. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  9. ^ Kaplan, Morris (19 July 2013). "Capitalising on digital change". The Australian. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  10. ^ Starr, Michelle (20 October 2013). "Ikea helps you find kitchen installation help". Cnet. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  11. ^ a b Collins, Ben (7 May 2014). "Institutional Investors Have Poured Millions Into Australian Online Directory Hipages". Business Insider Australia. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  12. ^ a b Francis, Hannah (9 May 2014). "HiPages eyes stronger IKEA synergy". Business Spectator AU. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  13. ^ a b White, Kye (7 May 2014). "Tradie platform hipages tools up with $6 million investment from big names". Startup Smart. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  14. ^ a b Hutchinson, James (7 May 2014). "Tradie directory group HiPages bags $6m in funding". Financial Review. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  15. ^ Corner, Stuart (9 March 2015). "Rightsizing: Hipages finds the best way to tackle the Amazon cloud". The Age. Retrieved 15 April 2015. 
  16. ^ Carmody, Broede (2 June 2015). "Tradie booking platform raises an additional $6 million, plans to nail the on-demand space". StartUp Smart. Retrieved 31 July 2015. 
  17. ^ a b "50 Most Innovative Companies 2013: 21. hipages Group". BRW. 28 November 2013. 
  18. ^ Cameron, Nadia (4 June 2014). "hipages recruits new CMO and adds chief customer role". CMO. Retrieved 17 July 2014. 
  19. ^ a b Rose, Sally (11 June 2014). "Hipages plans big marketing push with $6m boost". BRW. Retrieved 18 July 2014. 
  20. ^ Swan, David (May 18, 2015). "hipages passes $1.35 billion milestone". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 4, 2015. 
  21. ^ "PetPages". Retrieved 18 July 2014. 
  22. ^ a b Kaplan, Morris (25 July 2008). "Focus on the target". The Australian. Retrieved 18 July 2014. 
  23. ^ "NaturalTherapyPages". Retrieved 18 July 2014. 
  24. ^ "Technology Fast 50 Australia 2008" (PDF). Deloitte. 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2014. 
  25. ^ "28. Viteknologies". BRW. 23 June 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2014. 
  26. ^ "Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia 2014" (PDF). Deloitte. Retrieved November 25, 2014. 

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hipages&oldid=724253997"