March 16th, 2011 01:00 PM ET
Who: Mike Yavonditte, 41, New York
Why he’s at SXSW: To promote Hashable, a much-discussed smartphone app he founded in September. Hashable is kind of like the digital version of a business card. Yavonditte describes it as the “real-time LinkedIn.”
Why you might know him: Maybe he introduced himself at SXSW? His list of Hashable contacts includes 10,639 people – well, as of Tuesday afternoon. Probably more now. Tech uber-insiders may remember him from a company called Quigo, which he sold for more than $300 million to a CNN parent company.
Why he created Hashable: For a rush. If you read that last blurb, you realize Yavonditte could probably feed himself and a small army of children for the rest of his life without searching for another paycheck. But when he sold his company, he missed the pressure of trying to make it big. “I love the adrenaline rush of building companies up – the gun to your head,” he said. Who doesn’t love a good near-death experience?
What’s different about Hashable: It’s pushing the idea of “people check-ins,” where meet-ups with friends and business associates are posted online in a way that all of your digital friends can learn from. These exchanges are also saved in your phone’s contacts.
Why you would care: Because business cards are a pain.
What’s the best thing about SXSW: People saying “Can I hash you?” instead of asking for business cards. They're "hashing." “Companies that are used as verbs tend to do pretty well,” Yavonditte said. (Think Google). Yavonditte insists this linguistic development was not manufactured by his marketing team. Another good thing: Hashable’s user base is up 30% since the start of SXSW. Tens of thousands of people use the app, he said. That puts it in the little leagues of the app world for now, but SXSW buzz could certainly change that.
What he thinks about being way older than Mark Zuckerberg: The “honest naiveté” that comes with being young can be good for start-up founders, he said. The kiddos don’t always see problems coming, so they just go for it full-throttle and figure out the details later, if they have to. But experience does count, he said. The fact that this isn’t Yavonditte’s first rodeo means it’s easier to make connections and hire smart people.
Post by: John D. Sutter CNN Tech writer
Filed under: Tech
Credit: CNN (www.cnn.com)
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