Bob Davis

Founder

 Lycos

            Lycos was started in 1995 by Bob Davis when CMGI’s investment group @Ventures bought the search engine of Michael Mauldin at Carnegie Melton University.

            Bob Davis, after having sold Lycos to Terra Networks at $5.4 billion, is now also a managing general partner at venture capital firm Highland Capital.

            The motivation they had to work on this startup was mainly because of the technology they already had which they knew would be something.

            The particular problem their startup was addressing is the thirst of people for searching information in the Internet.

             Their startup, I think was an improvement of something that already existed before.

            I think, people used the services of the startup because they needed a site wherein they could easily search for the information they want.  And this was offered by the startup- an online search engine.

            Internet was pictured then as a giant card catalog in the Library of Congress wherein users could easily search information they needed and that’s how their startup had an impact in the history of the Internet. After it went to market, other startups like Google followed and became the most user friendly online search engine.

What’s unique about this startup was that it was more so with the consumer by positioning and branding their company in terms of what they wanted to be, which is to be this safe, comfortable environment for those who were just exploring and figuring out the features of the Internet. They tried to be purposeful in what they do. Their service was something already offered before because it so happened that Yahoo and Infoseek were already there when they incorporated.

            As for me, the existing system was this library system wherein you have to look first for the category   of the information you need in the card catalogs and look for it in the shelves of the library.

            If I were in the cofounder’s shoes, I would have also focused on hiring and building customers through my sales team because advertisement is really important in a company like theirs to succeed.

            I think, the startup would have been possible in a Third World Country                because people are by nature looking for convenience. They become innovative to ease the task that’s very difficult for them to the point of being resourceful. Since these Third World Countries already have knowledge in the technology and Internet, they would have also thought of that. The startup’s service too would have applications in a Third World Country.

10 THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW:

1. After reading the case study, I learned that the search engine technology was developed by another person- Michael Mauldin, and not by Bob Davis. Before, I didn’t know who Michael Mauldin or Bob Davis is.
2. After reading the case study, I learned that the first paying customer of Lycos was AT&T. Before, I didn’t know about their first paying customer.
3. After reading the case study, I learned that Google didn’t exist early on where they were in the market. Before, I thought that Lycos was later than Google.
4. After reading the case study, I learned that Yahoo was their main competitor at the time. Before, I didn’t know their main competitor.
5. After reading the case study, I learned that Lycos became a large national advertiser. Before, I didn’t know that they focused more on different advertisements for their company.
6. After reading the case study, I learned that trading products in return for impressions was a form of advertising. Before, I didn’t know about it.
7. After reading the case study, I learned that Lycos offers an online search engine. Before, I didn’t know the service of Lycos.
8. After reading the case study, I learned that Lycos was acquired in 2000 by Terra Networks. Before, I didn’t know that it was acquired.
9. After reading the case study, I learned that Lycos’s original technology came out of Carnegie Mellon University. Before, I didn’t know anything about how their technology originated.
10. After reading the case study, I learned that the first technology of Lycos which is the search engine was just a research project. Before, I didn’t know that t was one.