A dozen years ago, Stephen Kaufer’s Web start-up was on the verge of running out of cash, and struggling to connect with consumers. It gathered reviews of hotels and attractions from established sources like Fodors and mixed them with write-ups from people who’d just returned from trips. Thanks to a smidgen of coverage in travel publications and strong word of mouth from early users, TripAdvisor found its way out of the forest. The Newton company now operates the most visited collection of travel sites on the Internet, and its stock climbed about 60 percent over the last year.
Boston entrepreneurs building consumer sites, apps, or products frequently complain that local investors are unwilling to back them. But in many instances, the investors are simply waiting to see early signs of consumer usage, which creates a Catch-22 situation.
Comments
Scott -- It's so nice to have a reporter on the beat these days with the local institutional memory to reach back to 2000 and see similarities of how things could be impacted today. Thanks for including Springpad in the list, we're in good company with those other companies you included. In the spirit of your piece, we're doing our part at Springpad by showcasing all the companies mentioned here: http://springpad.com/#!/BrianCarr/notebooks/bostonconsumerstartupstowatch/blocks?view=gallery Here's to a successful New Year for All!