Glassdoor.com: Proof for Niche Verticals or Bubble 2.0?

A potential proof point that the future is niche and vertical can be found in the news that Glassdoor.com has come out of private beta.

Glassdoor.com hopes to capture the power of wikinomics and apply the knowledge to uncover the mystery of the modern workplace…well, that’s probably a bit grand.  In reality Forbes has put it best by calling it Workplace Porn.

The way it works is that people register, give details of their salaries, bonuses, comment on the company, give approval ratings, etc. and Glassdoor then adds this all together.  Techcrunch have a good breakdown on the mechanics.

From what AdViking has read the primary monetisation strategy is through advertising.

You’re probably saying to yourself, this is nothing special and in fact because they were able to raise a $3 million Series B from Benchmark is probably a proof point for Bubble 2.0.

That is until you find out that the company was founded/is managed by the vertical don, Rich Barton and two of his former team at Expedia; Robert Hohman (former President of Hotwire.com) and Tim Besse.

If anyone can turn a beer mat idea into a viable business, it would be these guys – making this Glassdoor.com one to watch closely.  In particular, AdViking is keen to see what distribution model they will take, that is destination vs. widely leveraged.