Online loan provider LendingTree has recognized five finalists in an innovation competition it will be hosting at the upcoming LeadsCon annual conference in New York.
Known as the “LendingTree Startup Innovation Spotlight,” the award is meant to “recognize the most innovative fintech startups who are breaking new ground across the consumer lead generation, call center, and customer experience sectors,” according to LendingTree.
The finalists will make a rapid-fire, five-minute presentation of their business plans in the mold of Shark Tank during the event, which will take place in Manhattan from August 21-23. The winning fintech firm will receive a $25,000 prize.
“Innovation in lead generation and customer experience is key for businesses in today’s ever-changing environment,” said Doug Lebda, founder and CEO of LendingTree. “At LendingTree, we are firmly committed to providing the best possible experiences and solutions for both businesses and consumers. Our investment in the Innovation Spotlight enables us to solidify this commitment and show support for innovative business solutions.”
The following five companies, listed along with the person who will present their business plan during the Startup Innovation Spotlight, are listed below. The descriptions come directly from LendingTree.
Traaqr
Brian Handrigan, Co-Founder & Co-CEO
“Traaqr is an online/offline attribution company specializing in connecting the dots between clicks, calls and conversions for automated digital advertising optimization. This SaaS disruptor is bringing click level analytics to companies of all sizes while providing automated data capture at a precision never believed possible before. Brian Handrigan, Co-Founder and Co-CEO has founded and built other venture-funded SaaS startups as well as digital agencies during the past 20+ years.”
ForeverCar
Mark Hodes, Founder and CEO
“Led by Mark Hodes, who has a 30-year track record of leadership positions in technology and marketing firms, ForeverCar is looking to disrupt the vehicle protection space by making car service and repairs simple and hassle-free. ForeverCar works with consumers to find and compare quotes for the right vehicle protection plan, and offers concierge support when a vehicle needs service or repairs, keeping you up-to-speed throughout the repair process.”
Outleads
Dorin Rosenshine, Founder and CEO
“Dorin is the founder & CEO of Outleads, a Microsoft Accelerator company that enables companies to advertise online based on offline activity. The patented technology pushes data from CRMs, contact centers’ phone and chat, marketing automation, e-mail marketing, and similar software to Google Analytics so advertisers can leverage it in AdWords. Outleads integrates with leading contact center software, including Genesys, Five9, and more, and onboards CRM data directly into Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics™ & AdWords™ for conversion attribution and real-time retargeting.”
LeadCrunch
Sanjit Singh, Co-Founder and COO
“Sanjit Singh is the co-founder & COO of LeadCrunch where he runs company operations, marketing and sales. LeadCrunch solves the problem of finding optimal B2B targets by analyzing a company’s best customers to identify ‘Smart Personas,’ and then engages look-alike personas with relevant content to generate permission-based leads. Unlike other technologies, LeadCrunch combines data, outreach, and artificial intelligence to deliver the right person at the right company with the right message at the right time.”
Starbutter AI
Samaneh Pourjalali, Co-Founder, Head of Product
“Samaneh Pourjalali s Head of Product at Starbutter AI, where she combines behavioral psychology, UX/UI, and digital acquisition to compress the sales funnel and improve lead conversions through AI-powered text and voice chat. Starbutter AI is a voice and chat app development company focusing on chatbots and AI agents, giving consumers high quality information so that they can pick the best financial products and helps financial companies match the right products to their customers.”