HealPay turns debt collection into mobile app start-up

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 | Source: Concentrate

Erick Bzovi and Lance Carlson knew they wanted to get a piece of the emerging mobile app game, and saw their best shot a sector most people wouldn't expect – debt collection.

The pair of young entrepreneurs started HealPay in Ann Arbor nine months ago. They now have a team of six people who have helped get the idea from concept to Beta testing last fall to a market debut earlier this month.

"A lot of these payment collection programs are ripe for innovation," Bzovi says.

He points out that debt collection is a fragmented industry that hasn't been a leader when it comes to keeping up with technology trends, such as mobile apps. HealPay's app automates the collection process by integrating it with other software programs, such as accounting software. The duo is now focusing its effort on municipal debts, such as parking ticket fines.

"This presents an opportunity to streamline a fragmented industry," Bzovi says.

Bzovi and Carlson plan to focus on getting HealPay to be adopted in Michigan municipalities during the first quarter. They hope to start spreading it across the Midwest by this spring/summer, and even the nation by the end of the year. If successful, they expect to have a staff of 15-20 people by 2012.

Source: Erick Bzovi, co-founder of HealPay
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.