Jul 28, 2007

Entrepreneurs: Cream of the Young Crop | BusinessWeek

Nathaniel Stevens, a Wharton undergrad, is working to utilize search portals like Yahoo!, Google, MSN, and Superpages, to allow local businesses to connect with local consumers.

His company, Yodle.com, has a motto: “Just cause the Web is worldwide doesn’t mean your client isn’t next door.” Companies pay the small Internet-based search-engine advertiser on a “per conversion” basis, based on how many phone calls and e-mails they receive from Stevens’ efforts.

Stevens says many small companies, like hair salons and dentists, don’t have the time or resources to do effective cyberspace advertising. He plans to build Yodle.com into a nationwide operation, but before he can go for a big round of seed funding, he’s working to demonstrate his technique’s effectiveness locally.

Published In: BusinessWeek