First Aussie social media platform for business owners launched

The team behind Australia’s prominent members-only community for business owners, Club of United Business (CUB), has developed a new Aussie-made social media platform designed specifically for business owners and entrepreneurs.

The new platform, Boa, was developed to combine the best aspects of Twitter, Reddit, and LinkedIn to form a powerful media and networking platform for business owners as a way to democratise the ability to leverage a powerful network and enable people to tap into the power of the collective.

“We wanted to create a community where business owners can engage with each other, share knowledge, and network in a meaningful way” Boa CEO, Daniel Hakim (pictured, centre) said. “Businesses need support more than ever with increasingly difficult economic and social times.

“The existing major platforms are too broad and noisy to be truly effective resources for business owners, so they are used primarily as marketing and recruitment tools,” Hakim added. “Business owners need a place to discuss the things that matter to them with those who understand them.”

Boa has been funded and built by CUB members, with investors including YellowBrickRoad Executive Chairman, Mark Bouris (pictured, left), with founding users such as TRG CEO, Gavin Rubinstein, Finder Co-founder and COO, Jeremy Cabral, and Equalution Co-Founder, Amal Wakim (pictured, right).

“For a long time now, I’ve been wondering how to democratise what super successful people have always had access to,” lead investor Mark Bouris said. “How can we give every Australian who is in business access to great minds, great ideas and solutions. Boa’s primary undertaking is to give all Australian business owners access to what only a few have ever had in the past. Our hope is that it will be nation building and will make our business community stand tall among the rest of the world.

“I think there’s so many people who have a great idea, great skills, and a great product but they don’t have the confidence,” Bouris added. “Australian business owners have always been standoff-ish and never really ask for much. Now’s their chance to take control, stand tall and be confident and tell the world what they have.”

Boa allows members to follow specific community threads, such as start-ups or capital raising, ensuring they are exposed to conversations, members, and communities tailored to their needs. Members will be able to connect with leaders in business to seek out advice or recommendations and collaborate with fellow members, exemplifying the community spirit.

“When I was growing up, I remember seeing my parents struggle with the various challenges of building a business,” Hakim related. “That’s why I’ve created Boa, to give business owners a community to turn to when they need a problem solved. This is a specific tool for the business owner. They’ve done it so tough in recent years, from COVID, high inflation, cost of living pressures, and a depressed economy. Boa allows them to talk to other business owners, share ideas and network in a meaningful way, not provided by other platforms.”

Access to Boa is free but prospective users must be an ABN holder or company director to gain access to the platform. There is also a premium version for $45 per month which includes additional features such as account verification, boosted posts, the ability to create communities and events and improved messaging features.

“Our goal was to create a platform that is accessible and valuable to all business owners, whether you are a start-up, or a unicorn company, you will find what you need on Boa,” Hakim said. “It is free or very low cost and it takes almost none of your valuable time.”