User:Ifranchino/MadeinLocal

MadeinLocal is an interactive guide and social network that is owned and operated by Useful Web. . Anyone can create a MadeinLocal account or use their Facebook account. Users can add friends and send them messages, as well as comment and rate bars, restaurants and events. Furthermore they can use the Rendez-vous tool as an alternative to Doodle to organize meetings. The website's name stems from the will to promote local businesses through the comments of the community. .

History
MadeinLocal is the main product by Useful Web, a start-up company founded by Manuel Acevedo in 2008. The iPhone application was launched on the 13th of April 2010 and an application for Google Android is currently in development.

Concept
MadeinLocal aims to provide meaningful information concerning local life through the user's social network, by providing results sorted according to their friends’ recommendations.

The background of the website is a full screen map, considered the best way to show local places and events. The search engine provides a list of bars, restaurants, clubs, events, places to see and accommodation ranked through the comments and stars awarded by other users. An algorithm was created in order to give a higher weighted influence to recommendations and stars awarded by the user's friends. Thus each user's ranking is personalized.

The website is free for users and hopes to generate revenue through the sale of showcases to local merchants.

Features
MadeinLocal does not allow much personalization of the user's profile. The web-site's main features are its search engine that personalizes each registered user's list, its messaging platform, and its event scheduling service.

Any merchant wishing to have an official showcase on the website can do so for a fee. In this case they can add information concerning their business, pictures and videos. A booking platform will soon follow.

Prizes
MadeinLocal has won several prizes and awards since its creation. It has been financially supported by Innogrants, a support service provided by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and won the VentureKick that provides a starting capital to entrepreneurs. It has as well won the Perl Trophy 2009, the Entrepreneurial prize 2010 at the Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne (EHL) for its business plan created with a group of students in their final year, and the IMD Startup Competition 2010.