Startups are a big part of President Obama’s economic plan, with more than $48 billion in tax breaks earmarked for small companies creating jobs, annually. The initiative was bolstered by a recent report from the Kaufman Foundation stating that fast-growth companies, while making up less than 1% of US employers, are responsible for up to 10% of national hires in a given year.
Amidst this push for growth in the Internet sector, a new class of tech startups has emerged aiming to help Americans on Main Street. These small but growing businesses have set their sights on assisting users with sometimes overwhelming daily realities like getting out debt, improving their FICO scores and finding the best insurance rates. And while there are traditional companies already providing these services, the new breed is leveraging web technologies to introduce new levels of transparency and customer satisfaction.
“We deal with complexity behind the scenes, so our users only have to worry about picking the best insurance policy from a straightforward list of options,” says CoverHound founder and CEO Basil Enan.
Insurance shopping has been relatively scattered and confusing for Americans in the past. Enan’s company shows users a list of competing insurance rates from the major brands, eliminating the need to visit multiple sites and ultimately making the buying process much easier.
Insurance and debt reduction have naturally become vital organs of the economy since its near collapse in 2008, and it seems now the Internet has finally established firm grounding in its offerings to regular Americans in these areas. Whereas there has been clear and remarkable growth in social and enterprise software over the last half decade, attention is now turning toward what some are calling “the pragmatic sector.”
“Nearly 100 million Americans revolve credit card debt, and the younger generation is managing nearly $1 trillion in student loans,” says ReadyForZero co-founder and CTO Ignacio Thayer. “Our site helps people make wise financial choices and pay off debt in a responsible way.”
Another ascendant element of the nascent sector is peer-to-peer lending. Young companies like Kiva, Kickstarter and Lending Club have to a large extent democratized the money-lending space. Borrowing money and receiving financial gifts are no longer lorded over by big banks with their own, monolithic agendas. Now, consumers can mete out small loans for themselves, at interest rates of their choosing. This is an easy and relatively safe way to turn a small profit, while ostensibly helping others with their endeavors.
Debt relief, fiscal protection and job creation are prescriptions for the economy on which almost everyone can agree. And while we still may joust over how to best approach these goals, innovation dedicated to helping people on Main Street represents a great start.
Man that jsut looks like its gonna be cool. Amazing.
Total-Privacy dot US
It makes sense since that is where the money is