Keeping ‘digital storefronts’ fresh
In 2010, a team of MIT graduate students designed an app that allowed people to rate entrees at local restaurants. This aimed to help restaurant patrons find the best local dishes. Soon, however, the students became aware of an issue at some of the restaurants: Despite years of innovation on businesses’ websites, it still takes many restaurants days, or even weeks, to update their online menus — which are now listed across a growing number of social media and review websites.Inspired by this plight, they set out to rectify the issue, using data management. Now, the former MIT students — Rene Reinsberg MBA ’11, Marc Piette MBA ’11 and Marek Olszewski — are running fast-growing startup Locu, whose platform — through a unique mix of data-mining technology and crowdworkers — allows businesses to update all their information, across the Web, in real time. “Not having to wait for that data...