By Jim Probasco

Peeptrade almost defies description. Or, perhaps more accurately, it requires a long description.

It’s a social network for investors. It’s also a trading platform. And it offers up news, fundamentals, charts, and sentiment. Plus, it allows traders and investors to monetize their knowledge and skills.

Such an offering is unusual for a company that’s barely over a year old, raising the question, “Who’s behind all this?”

Benzinga spoke with the man responsible, Peeptrade founder and CEO Juan Mendoza to learn exactly how he’s done it.

Benzinga: What is Peeptrade? How does it work?

Juan Mendoza: We think of Peeptrade as a one-stop shop for financial information and investing. It’s also a real social network for the retail investor and trader. Social trading links traders from all over the world. They can interact with each other and they can actually trade on the platform.

Investors can list their portfolio on Peeptrade, share that knowledge with someone else and, if they want, monetize that knowledge.

Can you share a little about your background?

Sure. First of all, I’m an engineer. I started working for JP Morgan in Mexico for five years in market risk, credit risk and liquidity risk. At that time, I finished my MBA at the University of Texas.

Then I started working at BBVA, the largest financial institution in Mexico. I was project manager in charge of all their structured products. I am also an investor. I have always been a fan of the financial markets.

Juan MendozaHow did the idea for Peeptrade come about?

We started developing the product a little over 18 months ago. It began one day while talking to a friend. We came up with the idea of creating a social network for investors.

The idea was to allow users to monetize their own knowledge. We saw a good opportunity, raised some money, and founded the company in Austin, Texas. Later we moved to Chicago, where we have been for six months.

We are a work in progress and spend a lot of time developing the things our users request. We want to be the most complete social information financial platform on the market, and I think we are accomplishing that.

What’s an Investor and what is a “Peeper”?

Investors are all those who have uploaded their portfolios. Peepers are those who have not uploaded a portfolio but just want to see – or “peep” at the portfolios and investments of successful investors and traders.

We just integrated with – pretty much – all the brokers in the U.S. When you upload your portfolio, we provide real time updates and news to help you invest. In addition, you have the ability to “peep” at other investors and see what they are doing.

Are there qualifications Investors have to meet or can anyone be an Investor?

Anyone can upload their portfolio. Peepers and other Investors can give star ratings or post a review on an Investor’s profile.

We also make sure there is performance information like return versus Standard & Poor’s, track record and other metrics.

How much do Investors charge others to “Peep?”

We leave that up to the investor. We have everything from $5 to an IRA that charges $5,000. It’s up to them. We don’t suggest. We want to be a marketplace where supply meets the demand.

I would say the average charge is probably around $50 per month.

What do you get specifically when you pay an Investor to see their trades?

Several things. First, you have access to the investor’s actual portfolio. This is not paper trading. This is real money. Peepers receive notifications about trades – securities bought or sold.

You can also interact with the Investor. Actually, you can interact with everyone on the site, but when you pay you have access to premium content. Some Investors post their trades publicly. Others post only to their Peepers.

Can you give a real world example of how trading on the platform works?

Sure. We have an API that integrates us with the largest brokers. Let’s say you see an investor trading Apple (AAPL). You click on Apple and you see all the data including what people are talking about, what analysts recommend and so forth. You say, “I think it’s a good call to buy Apple right now.”

So, you then click there and place your order through third party integration. You put in your broker’s credentials and the trade is executed. You don’t have to go into your broker’s website or software.

You mention data that you get. What kind of information is available to Investors on Peeptrade?

Let’s say you bought Apple and you have your portfolio uploaded and linked with Peeptrade. Every time there’s a news release, you’ll get a notification. Every time the stock moves up or down over a certain threshold, you’ll receive a notification.

If it is a trending stock, you’ll receive a notification. This is much more complex than a watch list. It is actual information. The idea is to keep users informed about their holdings.

What are some enhancements that have taken place on the Peeptrade platform?

When we started we were integrated with just one broker. Now we are integrated with virtually all brokers. That’s a big improvement.

Another enhancement is the improvement in the quality of the news we get. Our users are getting news from more sources and more reliable sources.

The integration that allows you to trade from the platform is another. The notifications especially with regard to news is another major improvement.

What about the future?

Our goal is to be the one place you go to when you want to trade or invest.

We don’t want to be a brokerage, but we want to be in the middle of all the brokers. We want to concentrate all the information in one place. We believe social trading will become very important and we want to be part of it.

This article is exclusive to Nasdaq.com.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.