Foursquare is a location-based social networking site designed with the mobile platform in mind. With the rapid growth expected to happen in the mobile space over the next five to ten years, it’s so surprise that startups like this one continue to pop-up. Being able to launch a startup that takes into account industry trends such as this one is one of the main reasons this entrepreneur continues to find success. For this and more we take a look at entrepreneur Dennis Crowley in the spotlight this week. We’ll look at just how he did it and highlight what lessons any upcoming entrepreneur can learn.
Summary:
Name: Dennis Crowley
Age: >35
Location: New York, NY
Claim to fame: Foursquare ( Location-based social networking site designed around mobile platforms.)
Initial cost: unknown
How He Did It:
Dennis Crowley grew up in the New York area where he would later attend the Newhouse School at Syracuse University obtaining his Bachelors degree and then a a Master’s degree from New York University in Interactive Telecommunications. Dennis was quick to startup a service called Dodgeball in 2005, which was a location-based mobile service where users could text a mobile number on their current location and receive updates on interesting things in the area. Dodgeball was quickly bought up by Google and later shutdown in 2009 due to the launch of Google Latitude. More recently (later in 2009), Dennis Crowley launched Foursquare, which is a location-based social networking site, which has been designed with the mobile platform in mind. Very similar to Dodgeball on the service, Foursquare allows users to check-in at any given current location and update their friends in doing so all the while being able to see what’s going on around them in real-time. Foursquare currently has around 500,000 users worldwide and continues to grow.
Lessons Learned:
- Often times one idea will need to the next such is the case with Dodgeball to Foursquare.
- Looking at upcoming trends within a industry is a smart step in planning a potential business startup.
- Working with your users or primary community is vital in any product success.
- Find outside help to balance your weaknesses on a given project. Don’t let it stop you.
Did you miss last weeks spotlight? Check it out here: The Entrepreneur Spotlight: Michael Birch.
Be on the lookout for our next entrepreneur spotlight article in this ongoing series. In the meantime, be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think about the success of this week’s entrepreneur and his entrepreneurship characteristics. Also, please let me know if you have an entrepreneur you would like to see featured here in the weeks to come.
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One Response to “The Entrepreneur Spotlight: Dennis Crowley”
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