Qwiki – Perhaps the Game Changer We’ve Been Waiting For
Founded by co-founded by entrepreneur Doug Imbruce and Internet industry pioneer Dr. Louis Monier (founder of AltaVista), Qwiki is already considered by many a “game changer.” The platform is expected to “define the future of information consumption globally,” according to Eduardo Saverin, that is, of course, if the company will manage to convince users to adopt it.
Everything sounds exciting – in their own words, Qwiki is working to deliver information in a format that’s quintessentially human – via storytelling instead of search. But it also sounds complicated, and the way is presented, is a bit unclear.
Think of asking your favorite teacher about Leonardo Da Vinci, or your most well-traveled friend about Buenos Aires: this is the experience Qwiki will eventually deliver, on demand, wherever you are in the world… on whatever device you’re using.
Qwiki will not deliver lists of results, as a search engine, but rich media answers, a story – which could work, if you have the time to listen to a whole narrative just to get to the point that really interests you. While it could be a “game changer,” Qwiki doesn’t sound like a “time saver.” The technology could be rather use for entertainment purposes. So far, it sounds too much like something only documentary film buffs would enjoy.
We’ve all seen science fiction films (or read novels) where computers are able to collect data on behalf of humans, and present the most important details. This is our goal at Qwiki – to advance information technology to the point it acts human.
Others have tried (and failed) before. Exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis.
And it could be successful, as it already has enough support to start the journey. Qwiki announced today that it closed $8 million in Series A funding. To date, the company has raised a total of $9.5 million including its angel round.
Qwiki is financially supported by some of the web’s best known visionaries: Eduardo Saverin (co-founder, Facebook), Jawed Karim (co-founder, YouTube) and Pradeep Sindhu (co-founder, Juniper Networks). Institutional investors included Lerer Media Ventures, Tugboat Ventures and Contour Venture Partners. The individual investor syndicate was arranged by New York City-based Felix Investments. Agencies that are believed to be utilizing this currently include Lewis PR, Hunter PR & Zeno Group.
