OwnLocal

Lloyd Armbrust and Jason Novek founded Seeing Interactive in 2010.{{cite news | url=https://venturebeat.com/2010/03/23/y-combinator/ | title=Y Combinator presents 26 new startups | work=VentureBeat | date=March 23, 2010 | access-date=August 27, 2013 | author=Bowman, Matt}}{{cite magazine | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2011/12/20/4-megatrends-in-social-media-and-social-business/ | title=4 Megatrends In Social Media And Social Business | magazine=Forbes | date=December 20, 2011 | access-date=August 27, 2013 | author=Shaughnessy, Haydn}}{{cite web | url=https://angel.co/ownlocal | title=OwnLocal | publisher=AngelList | access-date=August 27, 2013}} Backed by seed accelerator Y-Combinator, the company launched as a service for local newspaper, TV, and Radio stations.{{cite web | url=http://gigaom.com/2011/10/19/ownlocal-scores-funds-to-get-small-firms-online/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020011010/http://gigaom.com/2011/10/19/ownlocal-scores-funds-to-get-small-firms-online/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=October 20, 2011 | title=Ownlocal scores funds to get small firms online | publisher=GigaOM | date=October 19, 2011 | access-date=August 27, 2013 | author=Johnson, Bobbie}} After its launch, the startup raised $1 million in seed funding from various investors, including Lerer Ventures, Baseline Ventures, and angel investors Joshua Schachter and Paul Buchheit.{{cite web | url=http://digitalmedia.strategyeye.com/article/ly9m2EhbYWI/2010/06/29/ad_service_seeing_interactive_raises_usd1m_in_seed_round/?nsl=WVGbgssG79BO | title=Ad service Seeing Interactive raises USD1m in seed round | publisher=StrategyEye | date=June 29, 2010 | access-date=August 27, 2013}} The company changed its name to OwnLocal in March 2011.{{cite news | url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/03/18/seeing-interactive-changes-name-to-ownlocal-launches-hyper-local-deals-network/ | title=Seeing Interactive Changes Name To OwnLocal, Launches Hyper-Local Deals Network | work=TechCrunch | date=March 18, 2011 | access-date=August 27, 2013 | author=Tsotsis, Alexia}}

In October 2011, OwnLocal received an undisclosed amount from a funding round led by Automattic, the developer of WordPress. The incubator 500 Startups also participated in the funding.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} The round raised the company's total funding to $2 million.{{cite news | url=http://www.statesman.com/news/business/austin-startup-ownlocal-hits-2-million-mark-in-v-1/nRgfH/ | title=Austin startup OwnLocal hits $2 million mark in venture capital | newspaper=Austin American-Statesman | date=October 25, 2011 | access-date=August 27, 2013 | author=Hawkins, Lori}}

OwnLocal was one of the first for-profit companies to receive funding from the Knight Enterprise Fund, a fund for media innovation. The company also received an equity investment in February 2013 from Digital First Ventures for an undisclosed amount.{{cite web | url=http://www.finsmes.com/2013/02/ownlocal-receives-equity-investment-digital-ventures.html | title=OwnLocal Receives Equity Investment from Digital First Ventures | publisher=FinSMEs | date=February 19, 2013 | access-date=August 27, 2013}}

In May 2014, OwnLocal acquired Whoosh Traffic.{{cite web | url=http://ownlocal.com/ownlocal-acquires-whoosh-traffic/?preview=true&preview_id=4140&preview_nonce=558dfc358e&post_format=standard | title=OwnLocal Acquires Whoosh Traffic | work=OwnLocal | date=May 21, 2014 | access-date=April 7, 2015 | author=Armbrust, Lloyd}} Whoosh Traffic was an Austin-based company that powered SEO reporting for large Fortune 500 companies and small businesses.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/sTocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=224954234|title=Whoosh Traffic, Inc.: Private Company Information - Businessweek|website=www.bloomberg.com|access-date=2016-08-16}} Whoosh was backed by Techstars, 500 Startups, and several other major technology investors.

OwnLocal acquired Sidengo on March 10, 2015.{{cite web | url=http://ownlocal.com/ownlocal-acquires-austin-tech-startup-sidengo/ | title=OwnLocal Acquires Austin Tech Startup Sidengo | publisher=OwnLocal | date=March 10, 2015 | access-date=April 7, 2015 | author=Armbrust, Lloyd}} Sidengo was an easy-to-use website builder for people with no design or technical skills. Sidengo was started in Monterrey, Mexico by Jorge González and Gabriel Garza.{{cite web | url=https://sidengo.com/about | title=Sidengo About Us | publisher=Sidengo | date=July 1, 2011 | access-date=April 7, 2015 | author=González, Jorge}} As of March 2015, OwnLocal had integrated the Sidengo technology into their platform and planned to distribute the technology to their media partners.

OwnLocal acquired Inbound Press{{Cite web|url=http://streetfightmag.com/2017/06/09/ownlocal-acquires-wanderful-media-building-out-local-data/|title=OwnLocal Acquires Wanderful Media, Building Out Local Data {{!}} Street Fight|last=Zappa|first=Joseph|date=June 9, 2017|website=streetfightmag.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-08-30}} in March 2016. Inbound Press was created in Orange County, California by Andrew McFadden. The company's flagship product, Smart Media Kit, is a proven process that generates new advertising leads for newspapers. OwnLocal had added Smart Media Kit to its product offerings{{Cite news|url=https://www.512tech.com/technology/austin-based-digital-agency-ownlocal-continues-growth-with-acquisition/qyyloP9FwZTqIWXIWrE4fN/|title=Austin digital ad agency OwnLocal continues growth with acquisition|last=Hawkins|first=Lori|date=February 7, 2017|access-date=2018-08-30}} as of June 2016.

In 2017, OwnLocal acquired Wanderful Media.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/09/ownlocal-acquires-wanderful/|title=OwnLocal acquires Wanderful, a local deal startup backed by newspaper giants|website=TechCrunch|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-01}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.silicon-valley.net/ownlocal-acquires-wanderful-a-local-deal-startup-backed-by-newspaper-giants/|title=OwnLocal acquires Wanderful, a local deal startup backed by newspaper giants|date=2017-06-09|website=Silicon Valley|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-01}}

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Category:Marketing companies established in 2010

Category:Companies based in Austin, Texas

Category:Advertising agencies of the United States

Category:Y Combinator companies