The One-Page Company

The One-Page Company, also known as 1-Page, was a human resources technology firm that provided software solutions for talent acquisition and workforce engagement. Founded in November 2011 by Joanna Weidenmiller and her father, Patrick G. Riley, the company was built upon the principles of Riley's 2002 best-selling book, "The One-Page Proposal." The core idea was to move beyond traditional resumes and allow job candidates to showcase their value by submitting a one-page proposal that addressed a specific challenge or need within a company.

Joanna Weidenmiller, who served as CEO, brought a diverse background to the venture, including experience as a national rower, training with the FBI, and leading technology and media ventures in China. The company's business model was centered on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform sold to corporate clients. This platform enabled companies to post real-time business challenges and then score and analyze candidate proposals using natural language processing to rank them based on their strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities. The service targeted human resources departments, aiming to help them identify top talent by focusing on ideas and solutions rather than just keywords and educational background. Clients included large specialty retailers seeking innovative ideas from potential hires.

Financially, 1-Page initially raised $3 million in venture capital from investors like Blumberg Capital. In a notable move, it became the first Silicon Valley startup to list on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) through a reverse takeover in October 2014, raising an additional $8.5 million. Following its public listing, the company acquired BranchOut, a professional networking service on Facebook, with the goal of creating a powerful employee referral engine. Despite initial investor enthusiasm that saw its market capitalization soar, the company struggled to generate significant sales. This led to a dramatic decline in its stock value, and the company was ultimately delisted from the ASX in September 2018 and became defunct in March 2017.

Keywords: HR tech, talent acquisition, recruitment software, candidate assessment, proposal platform, SaaS, Joanna Weidenmiller, Patrick G. Riley, ASX listed, reverse takeover, BranchOut acquisition, employee engagement, HR analytics, enterprise software, gamification in hiring, natural language processing, job proposal, talent sourcing, corporate innovation, defunct startup