When local, successful Internet entrepreneur Paul Trubey was looking for another exciting E-company to create last year, he came across one that was already in the works: CashPile.
CashPile, founded by William Sutjiadi, helps small- to medium-sized online companies merchandise their products by giving them information. The goal is to increase companies’ revenues on content sites.
CashPile was recently selected by eBags, healthshop.com, iwin.com and Dash.com to rate their affiliate marketing programs.
CashPile’s technology allows affiliates to rate marketing programs by providing the feedback necessary for Internet companies to understand how well their affiliate programs are working.
Online companies that have affiliate programs usually offer cash rewards for referrals to their Web sites.
“We play the middle man,” Trubey said about CashPile.
While CashPile is still in the developmental stages, he expects 2001 to be a very good year for the company.
“All of our hard work will pay off big time,” said Trubey, who began as an angel investor and consultant for CashPile.
Trubey has already had a big payoff from a local Internet company. He founded Websense, Inc., the San Diego-based Internet surveillance software firm which had a $72 million initial public offering last week. Although he stepped down as CEO of Websense a year ago, Trubey is a shareholder.
While Websense is looking to be a $1 billion company, Trubey said CashPile has the potential to be 10 times bigger.
“There are no competitors out there doing what we’re doing,” he said.
CashPile, which is closing its second round of financing (the first round raised $600,000), plans to increase its work force from 20 to about 60 by the end of the year.
The growth of companies like CashPile is an indicator the Internet is not just a passing trend, Trubey said.
“These naysayers who say this is a bubble don’t really know what’s going on,” he said about the Internet. “They don’t realize productivity is increased. Any successful (Internet) start-up in this day and age is improving productivity somehow and making the market more efficient.”
Take that to the bank and cash it.
