Thumb

Thumb, formerly known as Opinionaided, is an addictive free app that allows consumers to use their iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android device to give and receive advice and opinions in real-time. Based in New York City, the company provides one of the most addictive experiences on mobile. Users can also experience Thumb at http://thumb-it.com.

"A user can post a question and receive a deluge of responses instantly, in real-time.” - Vator

"It is not like the myriad of questions and answers apps and websites that have popped in the last year requiring you to carefully craft content out of fear of being rejected or ridiculed (*cough* Quora *cough*). It’s simple, and I love simple." - IntoMobile

"... Angry Birds-like addictive quality to the application. The app works fast.”  - Portfolio

Features:
- Get opinions & advice fast from tons of people
- Vote & comment on questions to help others
- Review responses instantly in results
- Meet people who like the same stuff as you

Download Thumb for free from the iTunes App Store or Android Market:

Download from the iTunes App Store:  http://thumb-it.com/itunes

Or get it on your Android device: http://thumb-it.com/android 

Founder and CEO – Dan Kurani ­– Prior to launching Thumb, formerly known as Opinionaided in 2010, Dan Kurani spent the last 10 years as President/CEO of Kurani Interactive, a digital development firm.  Kurani helped Fortune 500 brands that included Nike and Universal Studios with web applications, mobile, and websites.  Dan grew Kurani Interactive to $3 million in annual billings and architected a number of successful digital properties.  Dan is also the author of The Honey Pot, a strategy book that helps brands use digital innovation to generate revenue. 

Prior to founding Kurani Interactive, Dan was actively involved with the family business, a successful retail chain called Zinnia.  Dan is married with three children and lives in the New York area.

Co-Founder and VP, Engineering – Mike Melli - Michael began developing software as a teenager and has spent the past 20+ years at the forefront of technology. Michael has worked on web-based systems for the Department of Defense, providing security infrastructure for a US Army base and earning him a Bronze Coin of Excellence and the honorary title of Brevet Provost Marshal. Michael joined Kurani Interactive in 2004.  

Co-Founder and Art Director – Matt Holloway - Matt's experience spans 10+ years in the design industry with expertise in interactive and multimedia platforms for Fortune 500s that include Accenture, Chambord, Coca-Cola, Interscope Records, Lingo, and Merrill Lynch. Matt is an accomplished photographer and joined Kurani Interactive in 2003.

CTO – Will Koffel – Will has over 13 years of experience as a technology leader working with large scale systems. Will began his career in 1998 as Senior Software Engineer for Akamai Technologies, developing the first software for Akamai’s global network operations center.  He also served as Director of Development for MIVA Direct, where he worked as the first engineer in MIVA’s Cambridge office, and designed and implemented the application infrastructure to support over 5 million live users. Will was also the co-founder and CTO of Wis.dm, a Q & A website.  

Mobile Development Director – Paul Spata – Paul is a seasoned develop and has over 14 years of experience designing and developing systems ranging from financial trading applications to educational virtual worlds.

Interim CMO – Hadley Harris - Hadley is a partner at Eniac Ventures and has been actively working at the intersection of business and technology for more than twelve years. Hadley served as Vice President of Marketing and Head of Business & Marketing Strategy at Vlingo, the world’s most popular mobile voice application. Hadley also worked in corporate strategy for Samsung, where he focused on telecommunications and digital media projects across North America, Europe and Asia. Hadley’s work resulted in a shift in Samsung’s strategic direction towards smartphones in the North American and European markets. Hadley was also a Product Manager for Microsoft.

Marc Newman - Developer

Oleg Prymak - iPhone Developer

Liz Angrisani - Community Manager

Dave Patel - Community Manager

Joyce Padgett - Finance

Andrew Angrist - Intern

Advisory Board:

Dan Kurani - Founder and CEO of Thumb.

Karl Jacob - is a four-time entrepreneur and has been building and advising companies for the last 14 years. He also worked as a manager at Sun Microsystems and an executive at Microsoft. Companies with Jacob as CEO have generated over $300 million in returns to investors and over $150 million in revenue per year. Karl was named by BusinessWeekly as one of the top ten up-and-comers.

Joe Medved - Joe is the Co-Founder of the Digital Media VC/Corp Dev Connection a group and Chairman Emeritus of the New England Venture Network (NEVN). Joe is also a partner at SoftBank Capital, focusing on supporting primarily Seed and Series A stage companies.

Jay Jamison - Jay led Microsoft Japan’s Windows Business Group as Senior Director and has held several senior level roles at Microsoft in product management and marketing. Jay successfully founded Moonshoot, an online English education service for children.

We are clearly differentiated from competition with the highest volume and fastest mobile opinion and advice tool.  This has been accomplished because we built the tool to be social while targeting multiple categories.  Direct competition in the opinion arena comes from Fashism, Second Opinion, Ask a Stylist, and Gotryiton.  Gotryiton has been out the longest and was the first to secure VC funding in early November ‘10. 

We have the most stable and advanced mobile product and we are partnering with major publishers to scale distribution.  Our distribution strategy will deter larger competitors from entering the space and ensure that we remain a leader against known competition. Further, we will continue to rapidly innovate on our product ensuring that it is the easiest to use and the most ubiquitous (multi-platform) mobile tool. Most importantly, we have one of the most experienced teams in the web startup space. We’ve been in the digital development business for 9 years, have worked with over 30 Fortune 500s including Nike and Universal Studios, and management has worked together for over 6 years.  In short, we’ve built the technology and revenue model to scale.