In an exclusive interview with the Telegraph, Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley said that his company was in talks with search companies — including all three major players: Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft — about a potential data partnership that could bring Foursquare’s unique venue-specific content to the world of search.
Details beyond the basic concept, and the fact that Foursquare is indeed in talks with the major search players, is limited in terms of how and when Foursquare’s data could be included in search engines, but Crowley did say that “our data generates hugely interesting trends which would enrich search.”
“We can anonymise data and use it to show venues which are trending at that moment, Crowley explained. “Twitter helped the world and the search engines know what people are talking about. Foursquare would allow people to search for the types of place people are going to – and where is trending – not what.”
Crowley also said that “numerous” potential partners are interested in utilizing Foursquare’s data, and that this is an “exciting time for the company,” likely meaning these types of partnerships are the forefront of Foursquare’s future. It’s a perfect move for the startup to gain a leg up on its competition, such as Gowalla, by being the first LBS content provider to include its content in search engines like Twitter does. It could also open the door for future innovation and business models, which Foursquare has yet to nail down for the long-term.
