Data Sharing App people.io lets people trade their data

by Startacus Admin
Launched last week in London with the target of going nationwide in three months, London based startup people.io aims to rebalance the standard online consumer and brand relationship by giving more power to the consumer to trade the data they want to share.
We spoke to Founder Nicholas Oliver to find out all the data that matters on this marketplace startup that puts data at the heart of the transaction...people power indeed!
Tell us all about people.io - give us your pitch!
people.io is a marketplace that allows consumers to dynamically licence their data and attention to brands; and be rewarded for doing so. We put the consumer in control by fiercely guarding their privacy and allowing them to set the terms of engagement with brands by determining who, when and how often they are willing to receive updates. This means we can give brands access to engaged consumers who are willing to listen, thereby combining their data with their attention and making a conversion more likely.
So you make your money from the information you gather, but in a more ethical way than usual?
We think that by putting the consumer in control we help to rebuild trust in the digital marketing space. And by creating a fairer value exchange that rewards them instantly we can associate information with reward. We protect privacy by collecting data on people.io and building a walled garden around it. Our sister company C8 Management acts as the intermediary with brands and manages the campaign so brands never access the people.io data directly. For every pound we get from the brands we take a small commission and the rest goes direct to the consumer in the form of credits.
We don’t believe that the current advertising industry is necessarily unethical but that, until now, they haven’t had the right tools to engage in the right way or are applying old world methodology to the digital experience.

Do you think that most consumers are aware of the value of personal data that they share?
People are waking up to the potential value of the data they hold. It’s no longer a quid pro quo that you give up your data for pennies or in return for content, people want to be able to retain control and ownership so they can build on the value of their data continually. The meteoric rise in ad-blocker adoption has increased scarcity in the market and subsequently increased the value of quality data even more.
What stage is the business at and what plans do you have for the near future? E.g. investment, accelerator programmes etc?
We launched this week in East London, will be nationwide in the next 3 months and in one or more European territories by the end of the year. We’re incredibly fortunate to have been included on the Startup Next pre-accelerator which has been invaluable in refining our consumer proposition and overall go-to-market strategy. And we’ve just started to raise some funds under EIS and are excited to also be in advanced discussions with a major European accelerator.
Are you the first to launch this type of data sharing platform in the UK, or does it already exist in some form?
We’re the first to adopt a consumer-centric model that has combined key components required in order to make a compelling proposition, one of which being the concept of data-licensing rather than sale.
Finally - a little free promo, give us three people, places or events that have helped you on your startup journey to date.
Startup Next, a programme operated by Techstars with Karina Costa and Jon Bradford at the helm. They, and the rest of the Startup Next team, have been instrumental in the lead up to our launch.
Oliver Woodley, Commercial Strategy Advisor. Oli was a founder of the Audience and is now at VICE Media. He has been instrumental in helping us secure the right mix of investors to help us build and grow the platform.
Fiona Chow, Consumer Engagement Advisor - a communications expert I’ve worked with for many years. She has helped craft the people.io narrative and engage with media and other stakeholders. She works closely with our Growth Manager, Alessia Camera to on user acquisition, engagement and communication.
If you like startup data / security themed content then you might want to read:
Apply now Winton Labs, a new no equity Data Startup Accelerator in London
Good privacy is good for Startups or our recent news article on The IncuBus Future of Work incubator programme which aimed to focus on startups in the AI, Cyber Security and IoT space
Talking Consumers and Brands - if you're a brand wanting to work in the startup space, give Startacus a shout - we are all ears. Details for this found here.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
WeWALK, RNIB, and ICL consortium secures UKRI funding to improve mobility for visually impaired and elderly.

The impact of standards, ethics and conduct on business success and profits - Work.Life has some interesting insights...

The lowdown on Space32 - the startup that wants to help hybrid-working businesses find the working space and solution that's right for them.

Global Tech for Good initiative seeks innovative startups and scaleups that are creating positive social impact and enhancing people's lives through tech.

The lowdown on Bidnamic, the startup that's combining advance machine learning with human expertise to help retailers to maximise revenue and profitability from Google Shopping.

Innovative Czech fintech startup 4Trans raises investment to expand first of its type AI driven factoring services across Europe.

Edinburgh-based life science company Cytomos secures funding to support further development of its innovative cell analysis tech.

Ethical Equity and Streets Consulting join forces to deliver Founder Workshop to help close the inequality gap in startup to scaleup funding.

Fancy being featured in this year’s SmallBiz100, which showcases the best of Britain’s vibrant small business community? There's just a couple of days left to do just that!

Screenloop secures major investment to support further development of its AI-driven recruitment platform that helps companies build the best teams and removes unconscious bias.
Published on: 31st January 2016
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- Assistive technology innovators and partners awarded £1.7m project funding 1st Jul 2022 WeWALK, RNIB, and ICL consortium secures UKRI funding to improve mobility for visually impaired and elderly.
- How the pandemic affected each industry 27th Jun 2022 New research from School of Marketing reveals the impact that Covid-19 has had on key business sectors in the UK.
- The Finalists of DBACE 2022 are revealed 21st Jun 2022 The lowdown on the innovative young visionaries that are in the running for this year's Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Entrepreneurs.
- OKAPI: Orbits raises €5.5m for Breakthrough Space Traffic Management Software 13th Jun 2022 Innovative German SaaS startup OKAPI:Orbits secures investment to support its mission of securing efficient and safe operations in space.