Brian Underwood, CEO of Rippln, fronts a mobile app venture whose website promised updates since its domain registration on September 23, 2012. The platform's structure, like his past projects, focuses on recruitment rather than a functional product, leaving users to pay into a system where most will not recover their investment.
Rippln's website displayed a "Stay tuned for more updates" message for years. It offered no information about company leadership or operational details. The site provided only a promise of a future release.
Underwood is listed as CEO on Rippln's Facebook page. He calls himself a "serial entrepreneur" and "global innovator" on his blog, claiming two decades of business experience. He does not publicize his history in the multi-level marketing (MLM) industry.
Underwood created iZigg in 2010. This scheme promised wealth through SMS and advertising. MLM blogger Ty Tribble called it a "money game that will not last" at its launch. Before iZigg, Underwood served as a master-distributor at BurnLounge, which started in April 2007. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued BurnLounge as a pyramid scheme by June of that year. A federal judge declared BurnLounge illegal in January 2012.
Tribble also linked Underwood to LocalAdLink, where Underwood worked as National Sales Director. The blogger described LocalAdLink as a scam where "people paying a bunch of money to get listed on Google."
Rippln markets a mobile application. The term "app" is generous for a program that barely functions. It claims to let users communicate, interact with advertising, and buy third-party affiliate offers. This constitutes the product.
The compensation plan reveals Rippln's true design. It pays $20 for every five people recruited as "fans." Recruiters earn another $20 when their own recruits bring in five new people. This "core strategy" relies entirely on recruitment: getting people to sign up for free, then having them recruit others for free, in a continuous cycle.
A "coaching bonus" system sits on top of this. Directly recruited affiliates upgrade to "Domestic" or "Global" status, terms Rippln never clarifies. Recruiters then receive payments. The structure applies a 1-up commission plan for the first ten recruits. It then shifts to one payment per five recruits.
Recruiters keep the commission on odd-numbered recruits. Their upline takes the commission on even-numbered ones. This design ensures money flows upward through the chain, not to users who actively use the app.
Underwood has refined this formula across three companies. He promises a product. He focuses on recruitment. He lets the commission structure do the heavy lifting. When regulators inevitably catch on, he moves to the next venture.
Rippln follows the same pattern with a different name. The app itself holds little importance. Money does not originate from users. It comes from recruits who pay to join a system where most will never recover their initial investment.
Underwood has shown he understands how this system operates. He has executed it before.