‘A digital revamp of men’s only clubs’: Mark Bouris backs social media platform Boa
The high-profile executive says 3000 business owners are on the waitlist for a new networking venture promising to combine the best aspects of LinkedIn and Twitter.
Yellow Brick Road chairman Mark Bouris has invested in Boa, Australia’s ‘first social media platform for business owners’, in what the high-profile executive describes as a modern, digital version of traditional men’s-only business clubs like The Australian Club and The Savage Club.
The online platform has signed up several high-profile CEOs and a waiting list of 3000 executives ahead of its launch this week, and is the brainchild of Daniel Hakim, who said he wanted to combine the best aspects of LinkedIn, Twitter and Reddit to form a powerful networking platform for business owners.
Mr Hakim previously started a members-only community for business owners, Club of United Business (CUB), and said Boa is an online version of that concept.
“I started CUB eight years ago when I returned from overseas and saw the different members clubs and communities that were around, but those olds men’s only clubs were not for me. CUB was started as an alternative, to represent modern and diverse Australian businesses, and we now have an incredible community of over 1000 accomplished entrepreneurs who actively engage in helping each other achieve success.
“During Covid, I saw our members become more engaged than ever. And things like LinkedIn are very broad, they’re not necessarily an appropriate place for a business owner to be authentic and discuss things that matter to them.”
Mr Bouris, who has made an undisclosed investment in CUB and Boa, said he has known Mr Hakim and his family for a long time and has served as a mentor figure throughout the executive’s business journey to date.
“It’s fair to say I’ve been a bit of a place for Daniel to bounce ideas off, and not all of them bounce very well, and every now, and then I have to say ‘mate, no I don’t think that’s going to work’. But he did a bloody fantastic job during Covid in terms of recruiting and retaining his membership for CUB. And he did say to me maybe a digital version would work, so we’ve been exploring that for a couple of years now,” he said.
“I was never invited to any of those old school clubs, I have attended them and been inside them, but I don’t really believe I list anything by not being a part of them, to be frank with you.
“I’ve been talking to people for eight years on my podcast with small businesses, and the one thing I’ve found is that they all need someone to talk to, and Boa is designed to do exactly that.”
The Boa app includes topic based sub-communities, a news section, advanced search functionality and meeting request features. Access to Boa is free, but users must be an ABN holder or company director to gain access to the platform.
A premium version is also available for $45 per month which includes additional features such as account verification, boosted posts, the ability to create communities and events and improved messaging features.
Mr Hakim said Boa would likely seek additional funding this year to scale up its platform, which has signed on foundation users including TRG CEO Gavin Rubinstein, Finder co-founder Jeremy Cabral and Equalution co-founder Amal Wakim.
“To be honest, I’ve always had a problem with the way that tech companies operate in terms of being dependent on investors for sustainability. That’s certainly not the way I learned how to run a business,” he said.
“I definitely want to operate differently, and I think the shaky landscape that tech companies are in gives us an advantageous position, because business owners need this now more than ever. They need someone to talk to and they need advice, and we’re an extremely cost-effective way for them to get that.
“Boa is a platform for people to get their voice heard, whether it’s by governments or other members, it’s a platform to have your say and that’s invaluable I think for business owners.”
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