I chose Foursquare’s 2009 pitch because restaurant and bar discovery connects directly to food and beverages. What stood out was how the product made an ordinary night out feel like something worth building a business around.
Slide 4 introduces the problem through the product: people need help deciding where to go. Nearby recommendations and friends’ activity make the solution easy to picture, although the deck could explain the frustration more directly.
Slide 6 provides the strongest evidence that the idea matters. Restaurants and bars were already offering free food or drinks to frequent visitors. That shows merchants experimenting with Foursquare, but it doesn’t prove that the promotions generated profitable, additional visits.
Slide 11 connects that behavior to a business model: sending customers to local businesses and measuring their response to offers. I like that the revenue story follows something merchants were already doing.
The market-size argument is weaker. Slide 15 reports availability in 20 U.S. cities plus Amsterdam, showing geographic reach rather than a dollar-sized opportunity. I’d want a bottom-up estimate: potential paying venues multiplied by realistic annual spending.
As an investor, I’d ask: How many users return after the novelty wears off? Will restaurants pay, and how much? Can Foursquare prove that a promotion caused a visit instead of rewarding someone who would have come anyway?
