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Surprised to see that it has now raised a total of $106 million. http://www.crunchbase.com/company/foursquare http://www.crunchbase.com/company/foursquare

by stevenj 13y ago

meowface 13y ago
They've been around for almost 5 years now, so it's not too surprising. Not like they're a brand new startup.
- mathattack 13y ago
  They're also into mining some of the "data exhaust". Monetizing this turns them into something much bigger than a social checkin company. Here's a presentation given at Data Driven New York. http://vimeo.com/79911529 http://vimeo.com/79911529
  - yid 13y ago
    > They're also into mining some of the "data exhaust". Monetizing this turns them into something much bigger than a social checkin company. Location data changes very quickly: new places open and close, popularity waxes and wanes, and demographics of neighborhoods change unpredictably. Foursquare's location data is only as good as its freshness, so without a large pool of active users, there is no "data exhaust".
    - mathattack 13y ago
      This is and, not or. But it did sound like check in growth was tapering.
  - dopamean 13y ago
    Something about this presentation really bugged me. From an engineering standpoint I thought it was pretty cool but as someone who really enjoys trying out random things and discovering things (thats are new to me) I would never use something like their suggestion product.
- seiji 13y ago
  The surprising part is — who uses it? Why is it relevant? It feels like they're dragging a fad out a little too long waiting for google to buy them (again) and then immediately close it (again).
  - meowface 13y ago
    Some people really like it. I've talked to people who enjoy using it. It's not my cup of tea, but they definitely have an active user base.
antr 13y ago
It seems to me that investors keep pouring money into the business in order to try to keep the option to sell it at (capital contribution) break-even alive. The previous round was a +$40m debt facility, and debt, when you haven't got cash flow, ain't cheap (PIK, warrants @ down round valuation, dilution, etc.). I hope the best for the company, but sometimes I wished SecondMarket, SharesPost, et al allowed one to short startups.
- malandrew 13y ago
  Totally true about debt, however, in this market, with quantitative easing, current interest rates, etc. and with the right connections to people in finance, you can leverage a company for a lot less now than any time I can remember. Getting a loan is the hard part. If you can get one, you're getting it for pennies on the dollar.
  - antr 13y ago
    > you're getting it for pennies on the dollar What are you talking about? Foursquare ain't getting anything for free, if anything that debt is now over $50m at a very conservative 15% Kd assumption.
barryswenson 13y ago
Can I ask why?

Surprised to see that it has now raised a total of $106 million. http://www.crunchbase.com/company/foursquare http://www.crunchbase.com/company/foursquare

by stevenj 13y ago

Surprised to see that it has now raised a total of $106 million. http://www.crunchbase.com/company/foursquare http://www.crunchbase.com/company/foursquare

meowface 13y ago

They've been around for almost 5 years now, so it's not too surprising. Not like they're a brand new startup.

mathattack 13y ago
They're also into mining some of the "data exhaust". Monetizing this turns them into something much bigger than a social checkin company. Here's a presentation given at Data Driven New York. http://vimeo.com/79911529 http://vimeo.com/79911529
- yid 13y ago
  > They're also into mining some of the "data exhaust". Monetizing this turns them into something much bigger than a social checkin company. Location data changes very quickly: new places open and close, popularity waxes and wanes, and demographics of neighborhoods change unpredictably. Foursquare's location data is only as good as its freshness, so without a large pool of active users, there is no "data exhaust".
  - mathattack 13y ago
    This is and, not or. But it did sound like check in growth was tapering.
- dopamean 13y ago
  Something about this presentation really bugged me. From an engineering standpoint I thought it was pretty cool but as someone who really enjoys trying out random things and discovering things (thats are new to me) I would never use something like their suggestion product.
seiji 13y ago
The surprising part is — who uses it? Why is it relevant? It feels like they're dragging a fad out a little too long waiting for google to buy them (again) and then immediately close it (again).
- meowface 13y ago
  Some people really like it. I've talked to people who enjoy using it. It's not my cup of tea, but they definitely have an active user base.

antr 13y ago

It seems to me that investors keep pouring money into the business in order to try to keep the option to sell it at (capital contribution) break-even alive. The previous round was a +$40m debt facility, and debt, when you haven't got cash flow, ain't cheap (PIK, warrants @ down round valuation, dilution, etc.). I hope the best for the company, but sometimes I wished SecondMarket, SharesPost, et al allowed one to short startups.

malandrew 13y ago
Totally true about debt, however, in this market, with quantitative easing, current interest rates, etc. and with the right connections to people in finance, you can leverage a company for a lot less now than any time I can remember. Getting a loan is the hard part. If you can get one, you're getting it for pennies on the dollar.
- antr 13y ago
  > you're getting it for pennies on the dollar What are you talking about? Foursquare ain't getting anything for free, if anything that debt is now over $50m at a very conservative 15% Kd assumption.

barryswenson 13y ago

Can I ask why?