WARS CONTINUE TO HEAT UP.
AMAZON UP 2 AND A QUARTER
PERCENT RIGHT NOW.
COOK HERE TO PRAY, INTERFACE
SOCIAL NETWORK APP PRAY.COM,
CHAT AND SET UP CHARITY,
RELIGIOUS LEADERS ARE PRIVY TO
ANALYTICS, PRAY.COM COFOUNDER
AND CEO STEVE, STEVE, GOOD TO
SEE YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME, MARIA.
MARIA: PRAY.COM WAS INITIALLY
CREATED TO GIVE WORSHIPERS
ALTERNATIVE TO FACEBOOK, RIGHT?
>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
WE ARE -- SO WE CONNECT PEOPLE
AROUND PRAYER AND ACTION, WE
GIVE CHURCHES A PRIVATE SOCIAL
NETWORK SO THAT THEY CAN CONNECT
WITH THEIR PARISHIONERS.
>> SO MANY ATTACKS ON THOUGHTS
AND PRAYERS, ARE YOU SEEING A
LOT MORE ACTIVITY, HOW IS YOUR
BUSINESS GOING IN.
>> WE ARE, YEAH, IT'S
PHENOMENAL, WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED
WITH INCREDIBLE INVESTORS WHO
RECENTLY GAVE US $14 MILLION FOR
A SERIES A ROUND AND WE'VE GOT
THOUSANDS OF FAITH ORGANIZATIONS
ALL OVER THE COUNTRY USING THE
PLATFORM TO CONNECT OVER SMALL
GROUPS AND CONNECT OVER MISSION
GROUPS AND EVERY TIME THERE'S
ANY KIND OF MAJOR EVENT AROUND
THE COUNTRY WE SEE PEEK PRAYERS
HAPPEN AND INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE
BUILDING PRAY.COM.
>> MITCH ROSCHELLE, HOW DO YOU
MONETIZE THE INTERACTION AMONGST
THE CONGREGATES?
>> WE ARE NOT BUSINESS DRIVEN
MODEL WHERE WE SELL DATA TO
ADVERTISERS, WE ARE A
TRANSACTION DRIVEN BUSINESS,
RIGHT NOW WE OFFER THE ABILITY
TO MAKE A DONATION TO A 501C3 OF
YOUR CHOICE AND OVER TIME WE
WILL BUILD THE PREMIUM CONTENT
MARKETPLACE WHERE YOU CAN
DOWNLOAD AUDIO BOOKS, MUSIC AND
OTHER TYPES OF DIGITAL MEDIA.
MARIA: YOU KNOW, FACEBOOK HAS
APOLOGIZED FOR THAT DATA BREACH
WHICH, OF COURSE, ROCKED THE
TECHNOLOGY SECTOR.
THEY ARE RUNNING FULL-PAGE
NEWSPAPER ADS TODAY APOLOGIZING,
YOUR TAKE WHEN YOU SEE WHAT'S
GONE ON WITH ALL TO HAVE ABUSES
AROUND PEOPLE'S DATA AND
INFORMATION?
>> YEAH, SO WE TAKE DATA VERY
SERIOUSLY AT PRAY.COM, YOU KNOW,
AS I SAID BEFORE, WE ARE NOT AN
AD-DRIVEN BUSINESS AND I
COULDN'T IMAGINE THE CHALLENGES
THAT MARK AND FACEBOOK HAVE TO
DEAL WITH AND WE CONTINUOUSLY
PRAY FOR THEM ON A WEEKLY BASIS.
MARIA: YEAH, BUT YOU HAVE ACCESS
TO EVERYBODY'S DATA, THE REAL
QUESTION IS WHAT ARE YOU DOING
WITH IT?
>> SO, MARIA, WE ACTUALLY DO NOT
COLLECT THE TYPE OF DATA THAT
FACEBOOK COLLECTS ON THEIR
USERS, WE DON'T EVEN ASK OUR
USERS TO SELF-IDENTIFY WITH A
FAITH, WE JUST SIMPLY GIVE OUR
MEMBERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO
CONNECT WITH AN ORGANIZATION
THAT THEY CARE ABOUT, CREATE A
CAUSE AND WE KEEP THEIR DATA
PRIVATE AND SECURE.
DAGEN: DAVE, IT'S DAGEN
MCDOWELL, ARE YOU A FOR PROFIT
COMPANY?
>> WE ARE A FOR PROFIT COMPANY
AT THE MOMENT WE DO --
DAGEN: I WAS JUST GOING TO ASK
YOU, DOES THAT CONFLICT, DO YOU
THINK WITH THE WAY THAT SOME
PEOPLE WOULD VIEW THEIR FAITH
AND A COMPANY MAKING MONEY OFF
THEIR FAITH AND WORSHIP ONLINE,
IF YOU WILL?
>> SO WE DO NOT CHARGE PEOPLE TO
PRAY, WE DO NOT CHARGE PEOPLE TO
USE A PLATFORM, THE PLATFORM IS
COMPLETELY FREE AND OUR BUSINESS
MODEL IS TO BUILD OUT A PREMIUM
CONTENT MARKETPLACE OVER TIME
THAT CAN ALLOW PEOPLE TO BUY THE
TYPES OF DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTS
THAT THEY CURRENTLY BUY FROM
DESPERATE SOURCES SUCH AS
BOOKSTORES AND OTHER WEBSITES.
>> SO STEVE YOU SAY YOU DON'T
COLLECT OTHER PEOPLE'S DATA, YOU
KNOW WHAT MOST COMMON THING THAT
PEOPLE ARE ASKING AT PRAY.COM
ABOUT?
>> WE HAVE SEEN PEOPLE TO ASK
FOR PRAYER FOR ILLNESS, WE HAVE
A LOT OF CANCER RECOVERY GROUPS,
WE SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK FOR
PRAYER AROUND CAUSES LIKE GUN
VIOLENCE, PEOPLE WHO HAVE
EXPERIENCED AND BEEN VICTIMS TO
GUN VIOLENCE, WE SEE A LOT OF
PEOPLE ASKING FOR PRAYER TO END
HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND WE SEE A
LOT OF GROUPS BEING CREATED THAT
ALLOW PEOPLE TO TAKE ACTION NOT
-- NOT JUST PRAYER AND WE
BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER
BUT ALSO TO MOBILIZE ACTION AND
GATHER VOLUNTEERS TO ACT ON THE
CAUSES THAT THEY REALLY CARE
ABOUT MOST.
MARIA: ALL RIGHT, WE WILL LEAVE
IT THERE, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, THANK