After almost a year working on MAPLE, we can say that there is nothing like building a solution that brings value to so many people. It’s not always easy, but it always gives the sense of doing something important, and it’s fun!
Freddy and I have passion for technology and bringing new solutions to the market, while changing the way people do things. Each of us have significant experience in the technology industry, and both of us were searching for a new journey after working with great companies and teams to accomplish a few incredible feats.
The beauty of MAPLE is that it started by trying to solve a problem we had managing our own finances. We faced the problem in different locations but almost at the same time. Simply saying, we couldn’t find a solution that enabled end users to manage their finances effectively. The seed was planted when a friend of mine, Ami, talked with me about financial management. He was experiencing the same frustration and challenges I had. We found out that we are using the same “solution” for the problem – spreadsheets. At that point, we started to compare sheets and strategies in search of the best practices to share with each other. In speaking more with our friends, we figured out that many are doing the same thing and complaining about the time they spend, errors they have, missing data and so on. We tinkered with the idea for a while, thinking that it seemed like an opportunity for building some great software to solve this for us and the rest of the world!.
At that point, and as things usually happen, a friend of a friend of a friend…introduced me to James Walker, who is part of our advisory board now. He liked the concept, but he needed to make sure we had the right technology partner and said “If you can convince Freddy Tenaglia, I am onboard,” and so he connected me with Freddy in the USA. Freddy and I hit it off, and he had some great ideas and vision to add to this solution so this is how Freddy and I became friends and partners. We share the same passion, values and similar backgrounds. Within a few weeks, Freddy put together an amazing development team using Data and AI, and it felt like we were solving our own problem. Everyone was waiting to get it working so we could start using it.
We established the company and started to work on it daily. The more progress we made and talked with people, the more confidence we gained that the need is really there. The understanding that the financial DNA of each one is unique had forced us to put substantial effort in creating the m.Profiler feature, which is a backend engine that learns who the users are and develops a specific profile of the individual. This is the one thing that enables MAPLE to provide personalized advice all the way. We will continually add new roads to the map and add features to the app, while listening to our users’ wants and needs and putting that into action.
So what about the name? How did we get to MAPLE? Well, when time came, the choice was clear: MAPLE, by the maple tree. The maple tree embodies the characteristics we want to instill in our financial management approach. Just like the countless species of maple trees, we recognize the diverse range of our users. The tree’s adaptability and strength through deep roots and sturdy trunk symbolize the flexibility, growth, protection and stability we aim to provide. And the tree’s simple and elegant beauty reminds us that effective financial management can be straightforward and accessible to all.
Our mission is clear, and it’s all about empowering the end users. The more progress we make, the more excited we are.
Both Freddy and I will work diligently to make MAPLE the best financial AI planning solution out there. As Shimon Peres once said, “If you have more dreams than achievements, you are young,” based on that, Freddy and I are very young 🙂 Enjoy MAPLE
