I ran into George Woodward, CEO of GetLisa today. We had a nice (long!) chat about what they’re up to. The company’s primary product is Micro.Local, which is “connects users to relevant, personalized and timely information that keeps them up to date on their community.”
“Who the heck is Lisa?”, I asked. Not something related to this, I hoped. Perhaps a long lost aunt? No, Lisa stands for Local Information Service Assistant, of course!
The idea is interesting. Wireless carriers get a fully functional mobile content publishing and delivery platform pre-populated with local schools, churches, businesses, and other community information. Users can use the web or their mobile phone to publish or subscribe to content that is very specific. For example, a user could subscribe to something as detailed as a particular bus route at a particular school. When new information is published, subscribers receive alerts. Want to get a feel for it? Here’s the best place to check it out.
Still don’t get it? Imagine students at a Texas high-school football game publishing information on each play. Yes, the actually do that, this stuff is serious down there. Subscribers can receive mobile alerts when somebody scores (the players, not the students – well, I suppose either).
Or take as another example the Katrina Network, a sample site published by GetLisa’s “socially conscious” employees in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
The company was founded by George, Kelly Corkill, and two others. It’s origins go back to 2001, but George told me that this incarnation of the company is really only about a year old. The company has several rural cellular carriers as customers including Alaska Digitel, and Plateau Wireless of New Mexico and Texas, so it’s (how you say?) “post revenue.”
George told me that the real play for the future is the “direct to consumer play” and that the company is preparing an updated product in support of that goal. He says that the company exists to “go big quick” and that the consumer is the ultimate path to success for them.
So far, the company is operating from founders capital, but George told me that the company will likely seek venture funding in the not-so-distant future in support of a wider marketing effort.
