Stories of Success: SemantiNet

I have been tracking success in Web 3.0 companies, and for a movement/technology that is about to hit the big time but hasn't quite done so on a consistent basis, success in this case to me means "having been successfully funded at a pre-money stage above $2 MM". I have my own little database that keeps track of these or you can always use the semantic-based Crunchbase at Semantic CrunchBase, so every piece of news coming out is reason for both rejoicing (from me as Web 3.0 evangelist wanting to see this come to fruition) and raised eyebrows. The latest just a few days ago is SemantiNet, with the press release here: SemantiNet Raises $3.4 M in First Round.

If you look at their site, in private beta still, but read closely the "elevator pitch", it's all about serendipity, and NOT the "thinking" web, to refer to Hank Williams' post on the value prop of Web 3.0: The Power of Serendipity.

This is a great sign, one that shows that more and more startups are getting the right pitch: the value proposition (and also distinction from Web 2.0) is that it allows serendipitous/new information that was not available before (simply with force mashing different APIs). It's not about "killing Google", so therefore not competing with them, it's about a different positioning.

Promising story, congrats SemantiNet, and you've just earned a place at the Web 3.0 Conference & Expo in my books :-)