User:A1Abigail/sandbox
| Industry | Consumer Website |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Santa Barbara, California |
Key people | Kevin J. O’Connor, Scott Leonard and Brayton Johnson |
| Products | FindTheBest |
FindTheBest is a network of sites designed to help people make important decisions. The flagship site, FindTheBest.com, allows users to research, filter, and compare products and services. The FindTheBest team compiles prices, reviews, and product specifications from authoritative sources, and presents them to users in a visual table with filters and ratings.[1] FindTheBest is based in Santa Barbara, California, and has been featured in The New York Times, TechCrunch, and The Huffington Post.[2][3][1]
History
[edit]FindTheBest was founded in 2009 by Kevin J. O’Connor, former CEO and co-founder of DoubleClick, Scott Leonard and Brayton Johnson.[4] The site was publicly launched in 2010 with 9 comparison categories, including health, education, business, and sports.[5][6] The venture was funded with an initial investment of $750 thousand each from the founders, followed by $2 million by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in December 2010.[6] FindTheBest.com has since expanded to over 700 comparisons in the 9 categories, and the company is continuing to add more every week.[5]
In 2011, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers invested an additional $4 million into the company.
In 2013, FindTheBest added another $11 million in Series B funding from New World Ventures, Montgomery & Co., Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and others.[7] The company also hired Palmer Jackson as CMO (previously, Phone Halo and Cogi, Inc.) As of February 2013, the FindTheBest network had reached 20 million visits per month and employed a team of approximately 50 people.
Product
[edit]FindTheBest offers a desktop and mobile website that enables users to see direct comparisons between products and services.[8] Specific products and services include cars, colleges, investment advisors, smartphones, computers, and over 700 others. Users can filter their options and view Smart Ratings to assist in narrowing down their product selection. They are also able to add or edit product and service listings. Each edit is reviewed by FindTheBest’s team before it goes live.[9]
In 2011, the company launched FindTheData.org, which provides a simple way to browse large datasets on subjects like city crime and job salaries. Much of the information from FindTheData is integrated into FindTheBest comparisons. For example, the FindTheBest colleges comparison contains information on campus safety, faculty salaries, and athletic budgets, each of which is drawn from FindTheData.[10]
In 2012, the company launched an additional user option called AssistMe.[11] The feature asks users a few simple questions, prompting them to prioritize the importance of various attributes of a product. The user then receives five recommended products with “Personal Smart Ratings.”[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Leena Rao (March 5, 2013). "Data-Driven Comparison Shopping Platform FindTheBest Raises $11M From New World, Kleiner Perkins And Others". TechCrunch. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ^ Steve Lohr (March 10, 2013). "Algorithms Get a Human Hand in Steering Web". The New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ^ "FindTheBest Names the Most Coveted Products for Dads and Grads in Popular Gift Categories". NBC News. April 24, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ^ "Company Overview of FINDTHEBEST.COM, Inc". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ^ a b Dylan Tweney (December 7, 2011). "FindTheBest upgrades with even more visual comparisons of almost everything". VentureBeat. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ^ a b Greg Sterling (August 2, 2010). "DoubleClick Founder Launches Structured "Decision Engine" FindTheBest.com". Search Engine Land. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ^ "FindTheBest Lands $11M For Comparison Engine". Socialtech.com. March 5, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ^ "FindTheBest - Consumer Services Comparison Community". AppAppeal. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ^ Srick Schonfeld (December 7th, 2011). "FindTheBest Adds Smart Ratings And A Better Way To Compare Products". TechCrunch. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Melanie Pinola (August 30, 2012). "FindTheData Compares Tons of Data Side-By-Side, Is a Research Gold Mine". LifeHacker. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ^ a b Leena Rao (February 21st, 2012). "FindTheBest Wants To Personalize Comparison Shopping With AssistMe". TechCrunch. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
Category:Companies established in 2009 Category:Companies based in Santa Barbara, California Category:Technology companies Category:Consumerism