The LA Times Interview With Paul Buchheit

 

Facebook's Paul Buchheit talks about Facebook, Google and his new gig

November 12, 2010 |  5:53 pm

Earlier today we reported that Paul Buchheit, who created Gmail and founded FriendFeed,was leaving Facebook to join Y Combinator. We caught up with Buchheit on his last day at Facebook.

 

It’s interesting that Paul is leaving Facebook before an IPO (Initial Public Offering) happens. There is more to life than money when you have enough to walk away from what might be a huge payday.

On a somewhat related note, the EconTalk podcast did an interview with Paul not long after Facebook acquired his startup Friendfeed. You can find the episode on EconTalk here.

Startups In The News

In a sign that 2010 really is a new year, several new start-up "incubators" are slated to pop up around Silicon Valley in the next few months.

Incubators typically help nurture small businesses by providing space, services and mentorship to entrepreneurs, often for a fee or an equity stake in their business. Well-known incubators include Y Combinator and Plug and Play Tech Center, with many venture-capital firms also incubating start-ups.

via online.wsj.com

As the economic recovery becomes more apparent, more people will be reporting on startups. Certainly business publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Business Week will feature them prominently in the near future.

It was not too long ago where the Wall Street Journal had a graphic indicating that every quarter about 200,000 new businesses are launched in the United States.

Link to startup graphic

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The Wall Street Journal Reports on Foursquare

Tristan Walker, the head of business development for Foursquare, estimates current Foursquare app users to be around a quarter of a million. He says the company hopes to make money by working with “local mom and pop shops” as well as mid-sized retailers. For instance, he said, Tasti D-Lite recently launched a Loyalty Program on Foursquare, through which customers can earn and redeem points by tweeting or checking in on Foursquare while stopping by the ice cream chain.

via blogs.wsj.com

Interesting article. Gaining the support of small establishments on the ground is hard. Perhaps they will have the mayors and super-users (currently there are three super-user levels) spread the word on how Foursquare can help.

Three forces for local to harness.
Visits - Who When and Where?
Loyalty - How often?
Word-of-Mouth - Is the message being spread? New levels of awareness are critical for sales growth.

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