Michael Ferrari

  • Social Money launches private beta of CorePro, its first open API product

    As Social Money approaches $5 billion in transactions, the company is celebrating another first: a product with an open API. Today the West Des Moines startup announced the launch of its latest product, CorePro, a core processing system that helps businesses and developers integrate savings accounts …

  • Social Money’s Ferrari discusses “The Pivot” at BIZ luncheon (Video)

    As SmartyPig approached its fifth birthday, company brass took a hard look at what the Des Moines-based startup had become. There was, without question, plenty to celebrate for the goal-based, social savings company. “We had this really great, kick-ass brand,” said Michael Ferrari, who co-founded the company in 2007. “We had global industry recognition. …

  • Do what you do best

    (Guest post by Michael Ferrari.) Sure the idea was mine, but to bring my idea to life, I needed help. This may or may not hold true for everyone starting a company. And more power to you, if you can design, build and launch your product on your own. Aaron Patzer, founder of Mint.com, once…

  • Watch Social Money’s demo of GoalSaver at Finovate (Video)

    We’ve covered Social Money and its GoalSaver product fairly frequently in recent months, but when Social Money co-founder Michael Ferrari and president Scott McCormack stepped on stage last month at Finovate Spring 2012 in San Francisco, they provided another spin on GoalSaver, a white-label social savings product offered by the West Des Moines-based company. GoalSaver,…

  • PrairieCast Video: Dwolla raises $5 million, SmartyPig shifts

    Not one but two Mikes joined us this week on PrairieCast. Mike Colwell, director of the Business Innovation Zone in Des Moines and Mike Ferrari, co-founder of SmartyPig (now Social Money Systems) both sit in to discuss the big news that broke early on show day, Dwolla’s $5M Series B raise, as well as the…

  • SmartyPig named to Entrepreneur’s ‘100 Brilliant Companies’ list

    SmartyPig, the West Des Moines-based online social savings company that bills itself as a “free online piggy bank,” was …

  • PrairieCast with Michael Ferrari and Alexander Grgurich (Video)

    Our guests yesterday were Michael Ferrari of SmartyPig and Alexander Grgurich of Foundry Coworking and TEDxDesMoines. Topics discussed: – Lodo launches add-on to leverage info captured by OurCashFlow – DSM Daily prepares to serve up only locally-owned daily deals – Wade Arnold and T8 Webware: From dorm room to board room – SXSW 2011 preparations…

  • PrairieCast: 1:30 pm with Michael Ferrari and Alexander Grgurich

    (Ferrari left, photo by Daphne Borowski Photography via Flickr, Grgurich right, photo from twitter.com/alexanderdsm.) Join us here live at 1:30 p.m. CST for Episode 24 of PrairieCast. Our guests will be Michael Ferrari of SmartyPig and Alexander Grgurich of Foundry Coworking and TEDxDesMoines. Discussion topics will include Lodo Software, DSM Daily…

  • PrairieCast: 1:30 Tues. with Michael Ferrari & Alexander Grgurich

    Tune in tomorrow, Tuesday, February 8th at 1:30 p.m. CST for Episode 24 of PrairieCast streaming live from the Webcast One studios. We’ll be joined by guests Michael Ferrari of SmartyPig and Alexander Grgurich of Foundry Coworking and TEDxDesMoines. Discussion topics will include Lodo Software, DSM Daily, T8 Webware and more. PrairieCast is a live…

  • Michael Ferrari: ‘Mastering this idea of helping people reach their goals’

    (Photo by Finovate Conferences via Flickr) For our article last week covering the launch of SmartyPig’s iPhone app, I asked SmartyPig co-founder Michael Ferrari five questions via email. His answers to the first four made it in our post, “SmartyPig just got smarter, now offering iPhone app,” but I held out his answer to the…