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[Fred93]

http://www.aikoa.com/
http://aikoa.dev.verticetree.com:8080/aikoa/index.jsp

If you go there, it will look very familiar.  Check out the "about us" pages.  http://aikoa.dev.verticetree.com:8080/aikoa/about_us.jsp  All the familiar Prosper employee's names, etc.

Curious note:  The domain name aikoa.com is registered to an address in Guatemala.

Registrant:
   Aikoa, S.A.
   10 Av. 10-50, Z. 14
   Plaza Futeca Local 40
   Guatemala, Guatemala 01014
   Guatemala

Pardon me if some of you knew this already.  It's new to me.

Edited to add: I'm real confused now.  I thought it was aikoa.com, but apparently that's not AIKOA the prosper clone.   That AIKOA is at the unusual URLs shown above.

[112233]

where's the forums? (lol)

[msava]

http://www.aikoa.com/
http://aikoa.dev.verticetree.com:8080/aikoa/index.jsp

If you go there, it will look very familiar.  Check out the "about us" pages.  http://aikoa.dev.verticetree.com:8080/aikoa/about_us.jsp  All the familiar Prosper employee's names, etc.

Curious note:  The domain name aikoa.com is registered to an address in Guatemala.

Registrant:
   Aikoa, S.A.
   10 Av. 10-50, Z. 14
   Plaza Futeca Local 40
   Guatemala, Guatemala 01014
   Guatemala

Pardon me if some of you knew this already.  It's new to me.

Edited to add: I'm real confused now.  I thought it was aikoa.com, but apparently that's not AIKOA the prosper clone.   That AIKOA is at the unusual URLs shown above.

How old is the Finnish site? Witchel is named as director, is still with CL over there? Are they still in business? Hmmm...

[Fred93]

Heh heh heh 

http://aikoa.dev.verticetree.com:8080/aikoa/about_us.jsp

Aikoa, Finland`s largest people-to-people lending marketplace, was created to make consumer lending more financially and socially rewarding for everyone.

Ok, so its finnish.  I'd guess that I won't be able to lend, 'cause I'm not finnish.  So I checked out the requirements for lenders and found...
http://aikoa.dev.verticetree.com:8080/aikoa/show_help.jsp?id=1

Who can lend money on Aikoa?

A Aikoa lender is any person who is a U.S. resident with a bank account and a social security number. After passing Aikoa's identity verification and anti-fraud checks, lenders offer money to borrowers at a rate they select, often earning a much better interest rate than putting their funds in a money-market account or CD.

Ok, so this makes no sense at all.

(light bulb above head illuminates)...
I know what this is.  This must be a web site under development, which isn't supposed to be available to the general public yet.  Somebody has just copied over various files from prosper.com and is editing them.

Now the URLs make sense.  The "dev" in the URL means its a "developmental" web site.  The port 8080 was intended to be something nobody would stumble upon.  Unfortunately, google found it!

[112233]

"dev" in the URL indicates to me this is a development server meaning this is where the coders create the website before it is copied to a production server where the rest of the world sees it.

also, port 8080 could mean that they are hosting the site using a non-commercial broadband account (eg charter home service where port 80 is blocked, the normal port for web servers). it also could mean they are hosting more than one web server on the same machine (eg IIS and Apache)

ETA fred figured out the "dev" before I was done with the post

[dotk]

They have some test listings and groups. With some bugs that need worked out.


http://aikoa.dev.verticetree.com:8080/aikoa/member_summary.jsp?id=22
When viewing a member page it shows the members friend and endorsements from the friend.
Borrower: Piyush
with 2 endorsements from friend Maniks Sys


Then when viewing one of the loan listings it displays the endorsements as coming from the borrower.
http://aikoa.dev.verticetree.com:8080/aikoa/listing_summary.jsp?list_id=9
Borrower: Piyush
with 2 endorsements from the borrower Piyush

[Fred93]

http://aikoa.dev.verticetree.com:8080/aikoa/about_media.jsp

Media Room

For press or blogger inquiries, please contact Tiffany Fox, Communications Director, at tiffany@aikoa.com or (415) 593-5416 or Monica Appelbe at admin@aikoa.fi or (415) 992-4400. For marketing inquiries, please send an email to marketing@aikoa.fi.

Ok, so this tells us that the intended domain name for the business is aikoa.fi

Whois Record
domain:   aikoa.fi
descr:    Vertice Tree Oy
descr:    21513155
address:  Atso Andersen
address:  Hanikka 26 B 2
address:  02360
address:  ESPOO
phone:    050-3002472
status:   Granted
created:  23.5.2008
expires:  23.5.2011

So was created in May 2008.

[Fred93]

with 2 endorsements from friend Maniks Sys

This is apparently Maniks Sys...

[112233]

http://www.tradevibes.com/company/profile/verticetree

Aikoa is a peer-to-peer lending platform, where users can get loans directly from other users who act as lenders on the platform. It follows popular services such as Prosper and Zopa bringing disintermediation in banking to Finland. We believe this kind of new financial intermediation is actually going back to the traditional form of financing. Our aim with Aikoa is to facilitate re-birth of digital co-operatives. Aikoa project is well under way. The service will enter beta phase in Winter 2008/2009.

[Fred93]

Aikoa project is well under way. The service will enter beta phase in Winter 2008/2009.

No, I do not think they'll be in beta this winter. 

I change my position.  At first I thought this was prosper, developing a product for Finland.  Now I believe this is somebody else entirely, and they've just been stupid and copied a lot of text from Prosper.com, including the names of the Prosper principals.

Here's why I've concluded this:  If this were Prosper, they would use the software they have.  They'd just change the skin and some of the words, and the language.  These aikoa.fi people appear to be developing new code. 

[112233]

Here's why I've concluded this:  If this were Prosper, they would use the software they have.  They'd just change the skin and some of the words, and the language.  These aikoa.fi people appear to be developing new code. 

exactly. that's what I thought. no need to reinvent the wheel.

[Urbi_et_Orbi]

I think "luotto" means loan, which is somehow oddly appropriate.

[Cushie]

I was googling yesterday and saw an ad needing someone to create a clone for Prosper.com.  I don't remember when or where it was posted but now I'm wondering if it's for this site.

Here's what I found...http://www.getafreelancer.com/projects/NET-Website-Design/Prosper-com-Clone.html  FWIW

[Urbi_et_Orbi]

I don't mind people being inspired by other businesses, but ripping off the actual site goes a bit too far, IMO, unless Prosper is somehow involved in the background or has licensed their technology to these people.

[112233]

I was googling yesterday and saw an ad needing someone to create a clone for Prosper.com.  I don't remember when or where it was posted but now I'm wondering if it's for this site.

Here's what I found...http://www.getafreelancer.com/projects/NET-Website-Design/Prosper-com-Clone.html  FWIW

that has been around for ages. I think the guy is trying to get away with paying a programmer 20 bucks or something stupid like that.