We are excited to announce the closing of our latest round of financing. You can read all of the details here. We’re pleased that all of our venture investors, including Union Square Ventures, Milestone Venture Partners and Betaworks are all participating alongside our existing angels. We are also happy to welcome the New York City Investment Fund to the Outside.in neighborhood.
The other news today is that I have joined as CEO and that co-founder Steven Johnson is becoming Executive Chairman. Steven is going to be spending more time this summer working on his next bestseller, but will be actively involved with the team and me as we continue to build out the vision that he and John Geraci had when they founded the company.
It is an exciting time in “local” and here at Outside.in; I am thrilled to join such a passionate forward thinking team.
What does “local” mean? Well, to us “local” means something different to every user. There is a huge demand for knowledge about what is happening around you…the news, discussions, information and trends…the things you want to know to be a better neighbor. But there is a general lack of ability to truly personalize that local information beyond basic zip code structure. We are building a business that centers around the neighborhoods and places where people actually live their lives…the elementary school, the dangerous intersection down the street or the park where you play with your dog.
“Local” also means something different if you are a publisher. Think about how your readers interact with your content. They look for how your coverage of news and events translates to their world…the world that starts at their door and gets — literally and figuratively — farther and farther away with each step. (This is what Chris Anderson calls “The Vanishing Point Theory of News“.) Imagine being able to bridge your online content to their real world lives. We do this already for some great publishers. Expect much more along these lines in the coming months.
We have a great pipeline of innovative products and businesses that build on the success we’ve had to date. We are going to spend the next few months rolling them out and talking a whole lot more with you, our users and partners…our neighbors. If you are a publisher, big or small, or advertiser, expect to hear from us about how we can help you get more local than ever before. If you just can’t wait to hear from us, reach out to us. We’d love to talk.
So, if you are new to Outside.in like I am, welcome to the neighborhood.
Mark
