Blog homeI read last night about how WAYN (Where Are You Now) may be (may be) close to being sold to AOL for $USD 200 million (although WAYN deny it)
Now I have no particular amazing inside knowledge whether this is true or not, likely or not etc. Nor have I any idea whether this is a good price or not….. but sounds reasonable to me (100 million GBP) – if you look at what has sold at a slightly lower price…. this is probably in the right ball park.
However what strikes me is how it may be a good time for WAYN to convert from having a paper value to a real one. Dopplr is beginning to make some big PR moves and although they are miles away from WAYN in terms of user numbers, they look like opposition not to be underestimated – both have significant VC backing.
I wrote previously how this is looking like a battle between an incumbent website (WAYN) with a management team who understand about how to make money from selling advertising to the travel industry vs a much more web focussed company (Dopplr) who are instead of going to travel industry events – tend to be seen speaking at major web events – talking about widgets and data portability.
Here for example is Dopplr’s CTO talking at last autumn’s Future of Web Applications conference in London (I was there!)
The battle for the end game for travel vertical social networks hasn’t really started yet – and perhaps by working with an existing company (AOL) who want to get into social networking at any price – in a sector that can be monetised nicely – this will help keep WAYN ahead of Dopplr (i.e I don’t think this is about money or entrepreneur exits)
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Apart from TechCrunch, nobody has any idea where this tale has come from – so well done to Mr Butcher, but let’s wait and see.
WAYN is none too impressed with it all. AOL is confused.
I’m not sure how good of a comparison Dopplr is to WAYN really. Dopplr is clearly aimed at folks who travel a lot and would only really be useful to them too. WAYN is much bigger (thanks to their years of spamming) and much less targetted. The one is also heavily used in the UK whereas the other is going to be more of a US/North American set up.
Regardless, WAYN stands a better chance if the turmoil in the financial markets continues as Dopplr would have to start making money faster than they might have planned for.
I’d say it’s probably a rumour regarding AOL/WAYN. Can’t really see what the attraction would be for AOL compared to a few other sites out there….
Hi Sam,
I would define two companies as competitors if they are both looking to solve the same problem (rather than if they both have the same solution).
e.g. online news competes with traditional newspapers – both looking to solve the same problem (where someone goes to keep informed) but both with different solutions.
So yes Dopplr and Wayn are different (I am not sure how different because I use neither actively) – but they both try to solve the problem of knowing who out of your friends are going to be where.
Whether WAYN or AOL impressed is of absolutely no interest to me. I have four good sources who all say a sale is going to happen. It may just be that AOL doesn’t bite, but WAYN’s investors will almost certainly have to realise a liquidity event this year, preferably sooner rather than later. As for Dopplr – comparing it with WAYN is like comparing chalk and cheese…
Hi Mike
Thanks for commenting. You have certainly got everyone intrigued with this story!
best wishes. Alex