From computational immunology and bioinformatics to ukelele and “being a legend,” Repcoin — a new site launched Feb. 12 by Stephen Malina ’15 and Matt Ritter ’15 — provides users both a reputation marketplace and a platform for experts to be discovered in different categories.
One week after the launch, 250 people are using the site in about 150 different categories, Ritter said.
On the site, experts can sign up for a self-professed skill and create their own categories, and investors give them “reps” as endorsement. Malina and Ritter believe that this will increase the credibility of experts and give them a platform on which to be discovered.
Reps are a form of virtual currency that investors can give to experts they want to support. Giving these to experts will build investments that will lead to trending experts in categories ranging from art to athletics, according to the Repcoin press release.
Ritter said that an increasing number of people are looking for information online, and it is difficult for them to know whether answers that they find can be trusted.
Since Repcoin went live last week, Malina said that the site has largely been working and there have not been any major issues. He said the feedback he has received has been positive and he is content with the progress so far.
“People seem to really enjoy the dynamic we have created, so we are really happy with how things have gone,” he said.
Malina said he was initially inspired to create Repcoin after reading two science fiction books in the summer of 2014. One of the books, “Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom” (2003), included a concept called the “Whuffie,” a virtual reputation-based currency.
As winners of “The Pitch,” an event cosponsored by the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network and the Neukom DALI lab, last fall, Malina and Ritter were able to transform Repcoin into a formal project and receive funding. They worked with the DALI Lab, a research and development lab in the computer science department at the College, during development. Malina said that, computer science professor Lorie Loeb, who works at the DALI Lab, and masters student and technical director at the DALI Lab Tim Tregubov helped them throughout and were available to offer advice.
While developing the site, Malina said that the main challenge that he and Ritter faced was that while they both have experience in software, neither of them have developed a product from the ground up. Ritter said that the constant pressure they have been under has been the most challenging aspect, because they always need to be ready to resolve any problems.
Ritter said that he believes that Repcoin will give Dartmouth students an interesting outlet to share their thoughts with their peers. He said he thought it was exciting to have an entrepreneurship program developed here at the College.
Will Baird ’15 said that he began using the site and investing last week when it went live. He said that it is interesting to be able to verify people as experts in different fields, and said that it offers a great opportunity for students to put their expertise on to the site and have others verify it.
“It will be cool to see how it grows,” Baird said.
Jason Feng ’17, who works in the DALI Lab, has also been frequently using the site.
“[Repcoin is a] good way to get a first impression of someone very quickly, and I think that’s very valuable,” he said.
In terms of Repcoin’s future, Ritter said that he hopes it will become big enough to become a sustainable program or that it will reach a point where it can be turned into a for-profit business and potentially develop full-time jobs.
Malina said that he envisions a future in which Repcoin functions as the leading web authority on reputation.
“The long term goal is that this will become the central hub for reputation on the web,” he said. “What we want to do is become the one-stop shop where you can literally ping our site for a measure for someone’s reputation in any category they have.”
Steffen Eriksen contributed reporting
The article has been revised to reflect the following correction:Correction appended:February 20, 2015
The original version of this articleidentified "The Pitch" as solely being sponsored by the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network. The event was originally started by the DALI lab and is now co-sponsored by both DEN and the DALI lab.
