LikeCube joins the Time Out family
Monday, August 15, 2011 at 3:11PM I am delighted to announce that LikeCube has been acquired by Time Out, the London entertainment specialist, as part of its growth in the digital and social space. It’s a perfect fit and a great end to the LikeCube story, which started 5 years ago with the desire to give users personalised recommendations that were right for them - wherever they went.
Personally, I remember being frustrated that when I travelled somewhere new I would often end up somewhere a bit obvious, while the locals around me knew just what was interesting. How could I find out what to do? Forget overloaded websites or generic guides, I realised that I was looking for two things: what my best friends would recommend me who knew me and knew the city; and the kind of thing I've liked before - I love this bar in London, where should I head to in Berlin? I like this hotel in New York where should I go to Sydney? I wanted personalised recommendations that would make me feel local wherever I went. Over time the content around us grew and the digital and social landscape changed, but the desire to find the right stuff didn't alter and motivated us to build something that would do the job.
It’s amazing to say that the cultural and business fit with Time Out was spotted over 5 years ago when the fledgling idea of an anthropologist and a semanticist (aka me and Daniele!) was selected as part of NESTA's Creative Pioneer Programme and I was introduced to Tony Elliott, the Time Out founder. Over the years, and with some adventures along the way, we went on to build the technology that meant a full personalisation system and have come back to Time Out, post Oakley investment, at a time of digital expansion and change.
It’s a great opportunity: with Time Out's superb brand, its growing user base, its expert editorial and its new ambitions online, this vision of personalised leisure and travel advice will become a reality. And we are all really excited about what comes next.
Daniele and Ismael will be staying on at Time Out as Directors of Personalisation, and I will be working on the new innovation agenda: exciting times...
We would like to thank you all for the support and belief in us along the way, and look forward to seeing you all at timeout.com!
Hooray!
Ellie Ford (Co-Founder)
Reader Comments (1)
Major congratulations Ellie, Daniele & Ismael!
It's so great to see all your ideas and hard work come to fruition. Wish you all the best at Time Out; they are lucky to have you! Exciting times indeed... :-)
Jits