Street Fight Daily: 11.09.11
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal media, technology, advertising and startups.
Yelp Hires Goldman and Citigroup to Lead I.P.O. (NYT/Dealbook)
Yelp, the online reviews site for local businesses, has hired Goldman Sachs and Citigroup to lead its initial public offering of stock, according to several people briefed on the situation. The offering, which is expected to value the company at $1.5 billion to $2 billion, will probably come to market in the first quarter of next year.
CrowdMob Builds a Tapjoy+Groupon for Distributing Local Deals (GigaOm)
The company offers merchants and retailers a way to distribute their local deals through third-party apps, incentivizing mobile users to buy a deal in exchange for virtual currency or goods. Users who play certain mobile games on Android and iOS devices will see a nearby deal offered in a mobile ad, which they can purchase immediately without leaving the app.
Groupon’s New Personalization Features Allow Businesses to Recycle Daily Deals (Mashable)
Groupon is rolling out personalization features that will help pinpoint subscribers who are most likely to become a small business’s repeat customers. The features — including an option that allows some users to purchase deals after they’ve expired — will be live in all of Groupon’s 175 North American markets starting today.
SimpleGeo Co-Founder Joe Stump Leaves Post-Urban Airship Acquisition (TechCrunch)
Following in the footsteps of co-founder Matt Galligan, SimpleGeo CTO and co-founder Joe Stump has announced he is leaving the company. In a blog post, the former Digg lead architect talks about the recent Urban Airship acquisition of SimpleGeo and his future plans.
Getting Hired By LivingSocial Is Like Going On American Idol (Business Insider)
LivingSocial has developed a unique way to rapidly increase their headcount. Almost every week, LivingSocial flies between 20 and 30 prescreened candidates to its headquarters in Washington D.C. for a day-long series of interviews. The “super sessions” cover everything from sales aptitude to cultural fit.
Gilt Bringing Designer Deals to Over 90 Countries (VentureBeat)
Gilt Groupe announced today that its online flash sales site will soon be available in over 90 countries outside of the US. The news is yet another sign of growth for Gilt, which helped to popularize the members only flash sales trend when it launched in 2007.
Here’s What Groupon Insiders Really Think Of LivingSocial (Business Insider)
Groupon’s market share dropped to 54% in September, down from 57% in August. Meanwhile LivingSocial was up to 22% from 19% in August. Despite this heated race, Groupon barely mentioned LivingSocial in its IPO roadshow. But what do Groupon execs really think of their closest rival?
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