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User:BiH/Hipages Group

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hipages Group
Type of businessPrivate
Founded2004 (2004)
Founder(s)
  • David Vitek
  • Robert Sharon-Zipser
  • Stephen Keighery
  • Michael Pang
IndustryOnline directory services
Lead generation
Employees80+
URLhipagesgroup.com.au
Current statusActive

hipages Group (formerly Viteknologies)[1] is a privately owned Australian technology company that serves as a lead generation partner and online directory services in the home improvement, natural therapies and pet services sectors.

History

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The company was founded in 2004 by David Vitek. That same year, he partnered with Robert Sharon-Zipser, and launched the website in 2005.[2][3]

Funding

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The initial start-up capital for hipages Group came from the co-founders, with Venture capital fund Chester Capital acquiring a minority stake of Viteknologies in 2007.[4] In May 2014, the company secured a $6 million investment from Ellerston Capital, KTM Capital, Australian Ethical Investment and others. The raising was facilitated by Right Click Capital[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

hipages.com.au

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hipages.com.au was initially an online directory listing tradespersons and home service professionals, including general contractors, plumbers, electricians, and handymen. It later incorporated a pay per lead model into its product offering.[12] The site allows consumers to post jobs, with three tradespersons sourced to quote on the work.[13] The company is structured on a decentralised basis around growth and operations teams, with a strong focus on the use of technology.[14] It has also adopted an approach called growth hacking to its operations, with a focus on search engine optimization, website analytics and A/B testing.[15] Other competitors in the lead generation sector include Yellow Pages[16], Service Seeking and Oneflare.

Affiliations

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In 2013 hipages Group entered into a partnership with IKEA.[17][18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ BRW (June 23, 2011) Best Places to Work index (#28). Retrieved 6 May 2014
  2. ^ Morris Kaplan (July 25, 2008), Focus on the target, The Australian. Retrieved 6 May 2014
  3. ^ Patrick Stafford (March 6, 2013), Leadership Profiles, Smart Company. Retrieved 6 May 2014
  4. ^ Morris Kaplan (July 25, 2008) Focus on the target, The Australian. Retrieved 8 May 2014
  5. ^ Mahesh Sharma (May 07, 2014) Aussie home improvement start-up hipages raises $6 million Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 May 2014
  6. ^ Kye White (May 07, 2014) Tradie platform hipages tools up with $6 million investment from big names, Startup Smart. Retrieved 8 May 2014
  7. ^ Ben Collins, (May 07, 2014) Institutional Investors Have Poured Millions Into Australian Online Directory Hipages, Business Insider Australia. Retrieved 8 May 2014
  8. ^ Fran Foo (May 07, 2014) Former Packer fund Ellerston, others invest $6m in HiPages, The Australian. Retrieved 8 May 2014
  9. ^ Elaine Huang (May 14, 2014) Decade-old home improvement portal hipages secures US$5.6M in funding e27. Retrieved 16 May 2014
  10. ^ James Hutchinson (May 08, 2014) Tradie directory group HiPages bags $6m in funding. Financial Review. Retrieved 19 May 2014
  11. ^ Sally Rose (June 10, 2014) hipages $6m PE boost sets scene for growth, marketing, ASX IPO, Financial Review Retrieved 11 June 2014
  12. ^ Morris Kaplan (July 19, 2013) Capitalising on digital change, The Australian Retrieved 6 May 2014
  13. ^ Verity Edwards (May 17, 2014) Building the tradie network, The Australian. Retrieved 19 May 2014
  14. ^ Brad Howarth (April 2014) Why one technology start-up is ditching the role of CIO CMO. Retrieved 6 May 2014
  15. ^ Morris Kaplan (July 19, 2013) Capitalising on digital change, The Australian. Retrieved 6 May 2014
  16. ^ James Hutchinson, (May 07, 2014) Tradie directory group HiPages takes $6m investment after 10 years of bootstrapping, BRW. Retrieved 8 May 2014
  17. ^ Michelle Starr (October 21, 2013) Ikea helps you find kitchen installation help CNET Australia. Retrieved 6 May 2014
  18. ^ Hannah Francis (May 09, 2014) HiPages eyes stronger IKEA synergy Business Spectator. Retrieved 12 May 2014