LeadsMarket is a company that offers a lead generation affiliate program for lenders and publishers. Pulse 2.0 interviewed LeadsMarket co-founder Furkat Kasimov to learn more about the company.
Furkat Kasimov’s Background
What is Furkat Kasimov’s background? Kasimov said:
“I was born in the Soviet Union, and I vividly remember the challenges of that era, like standing in long lines with my grandmother to buy limited amounts of bread using ration coupons. I’ll never forget starting school in Uzbekistan on its first day of independence. It was a surreal experience—there weren’t even textbooks. I eventually came to the United States and pursued higher education, earning an Associate’s degree at a community college in Los Angeles. I then transferred to a State University where I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. Later, I expanded my knowledge with an MBA in International Business. Professionally, I worked for InsuranceLeads.com until its acquisition in 2011.”
Formation Of LeadsMarket
How did the idea for the company come together? Kasimov shared:
“The idea for LeadsMarket.com came after the sale of InsuranceLeads.com. Rather than seeking employment elsewhere, I decided to co-found LeadsMarket.com with colleagues. My primary responsibilities include overseeing product development, scaling operations, mentoring team members, and driving the adoption of AI and big data analytics to enhance marketing and operational efficiency.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Kasimov reflected:
“Building the LeadsMarket.com Affiliate Certification Program and seeing over 5,000 affiliates worldwide benefit from the educational content has been incredibly rewarding. Watching affiliates from around the world succeed and contribute to our ecosystem is a standout memory.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Kasimov explained:
“LeadsMarket.com is a two-sided marketplace where buyers and sellers trade leads for personal loans.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges have Kasimov and the team faced in building the company? Kasimov acknowledged:
“Regulatory compliance has been a huge burden in the United States for all industries. Regulators are trying to enforce policy or an agenda, not laws, which has been a big burden on all businesses in the United States. We spend enormous human and financial resources on compliance with rules. Adapting to regulatory changes like California’s CCPA was challenging. To comply, we developed software that automated manual compliance tasks, saving costs and ensuring adherence to legal standards.”
Evolution Of LeadsMarket’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Kasimov noted:
“The technology has significantly evolved, with platforms like LeadPlatform.com and BigDataManager.com replacing earlier versions. We’ve integrated AI and machine learning to optimize lead distribution and improve marketing campaigns. This innovation has helped scale our operations while maintaining efficiency.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Kasimov cited:
“Hiring team members in the Americas, Europe, MENA, and APAC has been a big milestone for the company because having affiliate support 24/7 allows us to have a truly global presence.”
Customer Success Stories
When asking Kasimov about customer success stories, he highlighted:
“One of the hardest things to achieve in lead generation is consistent performance over a long period. One of our clients struggled for years buying leads from our competitors and trying different marketing methods in-house. They complained to our competitors that their performance is not consistent. When they signed up with us years ago they had a very different experience. They eventually allocated the majority of their marketing budget to buying leads from LeadsMarket.com because of consistent results.”
Funding/Revenue
When asking Kasimov about the company’s funding/revenue details, he revealed:
“LeadsMarket.com has grown from $0 to almost $100 million in annual revenue without any external funding.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Kasimov assessed:
“Allied Market Research published a report titled, ”Small Personal Loans Market by Type (P2P Marketplace Lending and Balance Sheet Lending), by Age (Less than 30 years, 30-50 years and More than 50 years), and Distribution Channel (Banks, Credit Unitions, Online Lenders and Peer-to-peer Lending): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024-2032″. According to the report, the small personal loans market was valued at $31.3 billion in 2023 and is estimated to reach $158.7 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 20.1% from 2024 to 2032 (Source).
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Kasimov affirmed:
“A Win-Win-Win-Win approach to business (benefiting consumers, suppliers, buyers, and the company) sets us apart from competitors.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? Kasimov emphasized:
“To grow bigger, to take away bigger market share from competitors.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Kasimov concluded:
Onboarding hundreds of new affiliates per week with a small team of affiliate managers is hard. Affiliate managers were incredibly busy explaining the same thing again and again to new affiliates that signed up with LeadsMarket.com. To solve this problem, I created an Affiliate Certification Program, which had a free online video course on how to get started with affiliate marketing, and used LeadsMarket.com as a case study (Link).
