New York-based Vindigo, an early mobile content company dating back to 1999, is shutting down and laying off its 30-plus employees, SAI reports. Separately, we also heard rumblings that the company shut down yesterday afternoon. The closure is not much of a surprise given the company’s convoluted past, which we’ve reported on extensively over the last few years.
In 2004, Japanese-based For-Side bought both Vindigo and Zingy, which together had a staff of 175. And, since then has suffered from constant executive turnover, multiple direction changes and business closures, including its ringtone, wallpaper and content application businesses, which was its bread-and-butter before For-Side took control. Early on, Vindigo was also known for developing MapQuest Mobile and numerous city guides, and it planned to shift back to those roots, but it never materialized.
For years, For-Side has been trying to sell the company, but hasn’t had any bites. Why? Reportedly, the company was asking for $10 million and a non-refundable $200,000 check just to look at the books, SAI reports.
Update: Jason Devitt, who ran Vindigo before he sold it to For-Side.com (JSD: 2330) and left a year later over disagreements with the Japanese company
That an awful shame! Vindigo was super, I used it on a daily basis. It's awfully sad!
as a road warrior, i was a constant user too. can anyone suggest a replacement. i don't like zagat.
I too agree I will really miss Vindigo, it was a great resource. I also ask if anyone knows of a comparable replacement?
The crooks, swindlers and insiders let it down.
Also the rat congregationers let it down.
Everybody pls thank our dear A.V. for that. Rumor has it he's trying to launch a start-up of his own. Curiously, no one's interested in investing.
Like Zingy's case it was the plot of insiders and outsiders to cheat for-side for money. Vindigo was the same case.
A paragraph from
http://www.jasondevitt.com/starting-up/vindigo-rip/#idc-ctools
Jason, why dont you tell us what were the points you disagreed with them?? And by the way it seems you made yourself rich selling the company… I only dont understand how could they paid you that much for buying your "BOX" without including the source code !! And finally, it is very hard to stablish any relation on their stocks fall with their desition of closing their subsidiary. All so called IT Companies in Japan were in their "BOOM" in those years and now, as many other companies in the world they are simply facing the results of the crunched credit problems you guys created in the States.
Someone has tried to cover up the conspiracy plot, but truth still managed leak out.
http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20081008/WIRELESS/810069968/1094/mobile_devices/japanese-mobile-content-firms-continue-to-struggle-in-the-us-market
It can't be cover up no matter what kind of camouflage they hide out not even in thousand of years because paper can not wrap fire.