stickK promotes a healthier and happier living. We help
people achieve their goals and objectives by enabling them to form Commitment Contracts.
stickK was formed by combining personal experience and scholarly research.
Our story began at Yale University a few years ago when Dean Karlan
(Economics Professor at Yale and Co-Founder of stickK) came up with the
idea of opening an online 'Commitment Store'.
He envisioned that people would come to the Commitment Store to sign
contracts obliging them to achieve their personal goals such as losing
weight or quitting smoking. Dean experimented this concept by making
contracts himself (click
here to read his personal weight loss story). Meanwhile,
he also conducted and published research* on Commitment Contracts as
a tool for helping people save money.
Now let's get a little technical....
The Commitment Contract concept is based on two well known principals of behavioral economics:
1.People don't always do what they claim they want to do, and
2.Incentives get people to do thing
Dean believed that today's health-conscious and socially conscious
market was ready for a service that would allow people a way to achieve their goals.
He bounced his ideas off his fellow academics Barry Nalebuff,
(professor at the Yale School of Management and co-founder of
Honest Tea)
and Ian Ayres (professor at Yale Law School and Author of Super
Crunchers: Why Thinking-By-Numbers is the New Way to be Smart). Barry and Ian loved
the proposal and very soon the idea of 'stickK' became a realistic possibility.
Barry introduced Dean and Ian to one of his students at Yale,
Jordan Goldberg, who hopped on board and accepted the offer to help
launch this new venture. From there onwards, Jordan began work to form what we now call stickK.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
*Ashraf, Karlan and Yin, Quarterly Journal of Economics May 2006,
"Tying Odysseus to the Mast: Evidence from a Commitment Savings Product in the Philippines"
Esquire Magazine - The Suits, Vers. 3.0 - Pg. 95
07/01/2008
It's a service by which people try to accomplish goals, such as quitting smoking, but instituting a layered accountability that forces them to actually do it. ...
(read more)
Self Magazine - Health Flash - Pg. 100
07/01/2008
Keep skipping the gym? The website stickK.com can help you reach your stay-healthy goals. It allows you to place a wager on your resolve; fall off the wagon and lose your bet to a designated recipient - a favorite charity (or least favorite, for more incentive). No bluffing! ...
(read more)
New York Daily News - Why we spend money when we're trying to save
06/30/2008
Or, seal the deal at www.StickK.com, a Web site that allows you to sign a commitment contract for your goals. Say you've decided to cut out coffee, or smoking or the money you spend at the grocery store on snacks so you can save an extra $100 each month. Put it in writing, then track your progress online while other users cheer you on. ...
(read more)
Reader's Digest Magazine - Mind Over Money - Pg. 137
06/01/2008
Use your friends and family as a way to discipline yourself. Tell them what your goal is, and ask them to remind you if you're about to spend money on something you won't need. ...
(read more)
Orlando Sentinel - For people who need motivation, this contract has consequences -- for your wallet
05/27/2008
Some people promise themselves treats if they lose weight or quit smoking.
Two Yale University professors use another motivator: If you don't reach a goal, they take your money and give it to someone you hate. ...
(read more)
FOX - Birmingham - Homewood Couple ‘Stickk.com’ Customers
05/19/2008
There are numerous ways to lose weight or to stop smoking but one way you may not have considered is ‘gambling.’ A new website gives you a chance to put your money where your mouth is. FOX6 News Reporter Dave Bondy introduces us to a Homewood couple putting it all on the line. ...
(read more)
FOX - Kansas City - Stickk.com Puts Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
05/14/2008
Cash money is a strong motivator, especially if it's the promise of a big pay day if you lose some weight. ...
(read more)
The Boston Globe - A Web contract for personal goals
04/15/2008
A new website created by two Yale professors asks self-improvers - anyone from smokers who want to quit to runners trying to get in shape - to post their names and promises for everyone to see. ...
(read more)
Yale Press - Nudge
04/10/2008
Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy - Learn how to achieve goals with stickK.com
04/09/2008
We learn how all about a website that will help you stick to your commitments. Jordan Goldberg who is with the website www.stickk.com told us all about how a bunch of Yale students and professors devised this simple but effective way to keep someone compliant to their weight loss program, their exercise plan or even their attempt to stop smoking. stickK promotes healthier and happier living by helping people achieve their personal goals through the signing of Commitment Contracts. Happier people = happier world! ...
(read more)
CNBC - StickK.com: Take a Contract Out On Yourself
03/11/2008
Want to lose weight, get a new job, stop smoking and floss every day? Whatever your goal is, let's face it: you won't do it without a serious incentive. At Stickk.com you can put your money where your mouth is and achieve your goals.. ...
(read more)
NPR - Put Your Money Where Your Girth Is
03/06/2008
Would you stick to your diet if your savings were at stake? Two professors are betting the answer is yes. The winning formula may include signing a contract to enforce the bet. ...
(read more)
CBS - Lose Weight Or Lose Money
03/05/2008
Americans spend billions of dollars to battle the bulge but many of them are unsuccessful. Now a Web site is there to help people reach their goals by charging them if they don't. ...
(read more)
The New York Times Freakonomics Blog - Could You Lose a Pound a Week to Save $500?
02/26/2008
People who really want to change are willing to give up some of their ex-post freedom. StickK not only helps you make credible commitments for yourself, it also lets you communicate that commitment to other people. ...
(read more)
Money Magazine - Fool yourself into saving smarter
02/25/2008
You may be one of those people who respond more to the fear of punishment than the promise of a prize. Well, you can make a threat work for you too. ...
(read more)
FOX Business - stickK.com Makes You Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
02/20/2008
Want to lose weight but just don’t have the motivation? Trying to quit smoking but can’t kick the habit? One Web site, www.stickK.com, has a way to help you reach your goal, by holding you accountable with cold hard cash. ...
(read more)
TechCrunch - stickK Allows You To Put A Contract On Yourself
02/15/2008
Steven D Levitt of Freakonomics fame wrote about stickK in January (Ayres is an occasional Freakonomics Blog guest blogger) and approved of the concept, a strong endorsement for the site. ...
(read more)
Economist - Carrot and stickK
02/07/2008
How to help your good self to triumph over your bad self ...
(read more)
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Could cash be the key to losing weight?
02/03/2008
penalize someone, financially and significantly, and he probably is more likely to lose 20 pounds than if you'd left him to his own methods ...
(read more)
Los Angeles Times - Lose weight? Bet on it
01/27/2008
If you can't stick to that New Year's resolution, try putting your money where your mouth is. ...
(read more)
The New York Times Freakonomics Blog - StickK To Your Commitments
01/21/2008
That is where the new Web site StickK.com comes in. Launched this week by economists Ian Ayres (also a Freakonomics guest blogger) and Dean Karlan, StickK is there to facilitate commitment contracts ...
(read more)
lifehacker - Wager Cash on Your Goals at StickK
01/17/2008
Serious enough about your New Year's resolutions to put money on them? To appoint a referee and cheering section to check in on your progress? You can do just that at StickK, a goal monitoring web site where you commit to achieving something and literally pay if you don't make progress. ...
(read more)
National Post - Marni Soupcoff on stickK.com and a project to save the redheads
01/16/2008
The site walks you through the process of making and signing a "commitment contract," which obliges you to meet the specific goal of your choice within a specific time-frame. The helpful part of stickK.com is that it gives you added incentive to stick to your resolution by allowing you to make your contract public ...
(read more)
The Washington Post Express - Bet the Money and Run: Incentive Based Weight Loss
01/01/2008
Members start by selecting a commitment type, which can be either the site's standard weight loss, fitness or quit-smoking options, or they can craft a goal of their own. Then, the choices multiply ...
(read more)
The New York Sun - How Yale Professors Lose Weight
11/23/2007
The company will have a Web site offering individuals hoping to reach a goal — anything from sticking to a diet to learning to ride a unicycle — legally binding contracts where they will pay a set dollar amount to charity if they fail in their endeavor. ...
(read more)
The Wall Street Journal Economics Blog - Can Economics Help Americans Lose Weight?
11/12/2007
They have started a company called stickK.com that will allow people to take out a contract on themselves. They pick a price. If they don’t lose a certain amount of weight, they lose the money, either to a charity, friends or family ...
(read more)
The Washington Post - An Economy of Scales
11/10/2007
Paying People to Lose Weight Helps Drop Pounds and Health-Care Costs ...
(read more)
Yale Daily News - Site to help users with personal goals
11/05/2007
Stickk.com, a new Web site developed by Yale economics professor Dean Karlan, law professor Ian Ayres and Jordan Goldberg ’06 SOM ’09, will allow users to create contractual commitments with family, friends and employers in order to reach personal goals ...
(read more)
Hartford Business - Nutmeg Startups Aim At High-Tech Cures For Misbehavior
10/15/2007
Jordan Goldberg, a Yale business school student, has developed a Web site where users develop contracts with themselves. Called Stickk.com, the (...) service targets “people who lack the will power or proper motivation to achieve their goals.” ...
(read more)
August 2007: stickK, LLC is formed
Founders: Ian Ayres, Jordan Goldberg and Dean Karlan
January 2008: www.stickK.com officially launched
March 2008: stickK reaches 10,000 users (and climbing)
Ian Ayres
Co-founder
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Ian Ayres is a lawyer and an economist. He is the William K. Townsend
Professor at Yale Law School and a Professor at Yale's School of Management.
He has published nine books including,
'Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-By-Numbers is the New Way to be Smart' in 2007.
In 2006, Ian was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
He has a Ph.D. in Economics from M.I.T. and a J.D. from Yale University.
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Jordan Goldberg
CEO, Co-founder
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Jordan Goldberg is the CEO of stickK. He graduated from Yale University in 2006 where he
earned his BA in American Studies in 2006. Jordan is a recipient of Yale School of
Management's Silver Anniversary Scholarship, a scholarship to the MBA
program awarded to six undergraduate students each year.
After completing the first year of his MBA program, Jordan decided to take
a leave of absence from school to work full-time on stickK.
Jordan loves Commitment Contracts, oatmeal and eating other people's lunches.
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Dean Karlan
Co-founder
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Dean Karlan is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Yale University. Dean has
done extensive academic research on Commitment Contracts for savings and for
quitting smoking. He is also president of Innovations
for Poverty Action (IPA), a non-profit he founded in 2002, that applies rigorous research techniques to
develop solutions to real-world problems faced by the poor in developing countries.
In 2007, he was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and
Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on
outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. Dean is a research
fellow of the M.I.T. Jameel Poverty Action Lab, and co-director of the Financial Access Initiative,
a consortium created with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
He has a Ph.D. in Economics from M.I.T., an MBA and MPP from the University of
Chicago, and a BA from the University of Virginia. |
Darren Azman
Director of Business Development, VP of Awesomeness
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Darren completed his Bachelor's Degree in Economics and
Finance from Bentley College in Waltham, MA in 2006. Prior to joining stickK he attended Georgetown
University Law School where he worked towards a J.D. In 2007, Darren decided to take a
leave of absence to join stickK. He has several roles at stickK including product development,
business strategy, and customer relations.
Darren also manages our coffee maker, printer, and postage meter. He's quite good at it.
He believes he is a champion dart player (despite his inability to demonstrate the least bit of accuracy)
and when he's not busy working, he regularly practices throwing darts a few hours a day. Darren also enjoys
skydiving, running, and playing tennis.
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Raghuram Bala
Technical Advisor
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Raghu has 18 years of experience in the technology industry. He is the CTO of Source
Interlink Media, where he manages over 400 Internet properties, including such brand
names as MotorTrend, Automobile, and Hot Rod. Prior to this, he was Director of Engineering
at Yahoo, where he helped to run Yahoo's Contextual Search Business. He also worked as
the Director of Search and Directory products at Infospace, managing M&A activities such as
those related to Online Yellow Pages, Internet Advertising, and Click Fraud.
Raghu's role at stickK includes developing technology strategies managing Internet
search, Search Engine Optimization, Internet Advertising, and Internet Video programming.
Raghu has founded two startups-both sold to public companies(Keane Inc., and InfoSpace Inc.).
He holds an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of Business, an MS in Computer Science from Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute and a BS/BA in Computer Science and Mathematics from SUNY(Buffalo).
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Samuel Espinosa
Director of Finance
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Sam, or 'Tex', as we like to call him, hails from Austin, Texas (go figure!). Sam joined our
team in December 07, and is currently taking care of all things financial. Sam regularly balances our books,
hands out our pay checks and manages the office shredder.
Before moving to New York, Sam worked at Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. in Texas. He is a graduate
of Yale University. Sam loves the Dallas Cowboys, baseball and the great outdoors. He too believes
he is a champion dart player.
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Scott Goldberg
General Counsel
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Scott joined stickK in February 2008 as General Counsel. His responsibilities include making sure we
abide by applicable laws and regulations and don't get into any trouble.
Prior to joining stickK he
worked at a law firm in Washington DC. He's originally from, Baltimore, MD and is a huge Ravens and
Orioles fan. Scott is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Maryland, School of Law,
where he was valedictorian. What a dork!
He's married (sorry ladies), loves nature, hiking, scuba diving and skiing and has a cat named Maggie.
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Turab Hasan
Director of Marketing
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Turab joined stickK in November 07 and he's the guy responsible for marketing stickK.
He takes care of all online and offline marketing activities for stickK.Turab has a Master's
from Cranfield University (United Kingdom) and has marketing strategy experience in the Energy, Telecommunications and IT sectors.
Turab loves cricket (yes, that boring game), soccer (or football as he likes to call it) and skittles.
He is also the undisputed champ in darts at stickK.
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Eric Sammer
Director of Technical Operations
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Eric joined stickK in March 08 and is responsible for all technical operations. He is active in the open
source development community and has over 10 years of programming and system administration experience
in various industries.
Eric likes to write and listen to progressive and electronic music and is a closet NKOTB fan.
He dislikes corporate profiles and people (especially Turab).
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Jonathan Whitticom
CXO
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Jon is the CXO of stickK and is responsible for strategy and everything that impacts stickK
users (so if you have an idea or two for stickK, drop him a line). Prior to joining stickK,
Jon founded CharityFolks.com where he was responsible for technology, business administration,
finance, legal and strategy issues.
Jon's worked as an e-consultant for a variety of Fortune 500 companies developing business
strategy and software that have been used in numerous corporate and consumer markets. He was one of
the original members of ISR (Webvan.com) and helped execute the business plan
that ultimately resulted in the largest e-commerce launch in United States history.
Like Sam and Darren, Jon claims to be the reigning office champion in darts. In his spare time,
Jon likes to play Bond and Mario Kart (Nintendo), yet he's no good at either of them.
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Investment and Partnership Information
stickK is currently privately held. If you are interested in learning more about partnering
with us, or have business development ideas, please feel free contact us.
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