Flyswat

Flyswat, founded in 1997 by John Rodkin and Raymond Krouse, emerged from San Francisco as a technology firm that developed a web-based navigation tool. The company's core offering was designed to analyze text on a user's screen, whether on a webpage or within desktop applications like word processors and spreadsheets, and automatically create hyperlinks from keywords to relevant content and commerce on the internet.

The business operated on a freemium model, allowing users to download the software to enhance their browsing and application usage. The tool's main function was to provide users with real-time, contextual information by deriving data links directly from the content they were viewing. This essentially turned any text into a potential gateway for further exploration and commerce without requiring a manual search.

Flyswat's trajectory as an independent entity was relatively short-lived. On May 31, 2000, the company was acquired by NBCi, the internet arm of the media conglomerate NBC, in what is described as an "acqui-hire." This move suggests the value was seen as much in the talent of the team, including Co-Founder & CEO John Rodkin and Co-Founder & CFO Raymond Krouse, as in the technology itself. Prior to the acquisition, Flyswat had secured investments from firms including U.S. Venture Partners, Amicus Capital, and Active Angel Investors.

Keywords: Flyswat, John Rodkin, Raymond Krouse, NBCi acquisition, web navigation tool, contextual links, real-time content, freemium software, internet software, San Francisco startup, U.S. Venture Partners, Amicus Capital, Active Angel Investors, web tool, desktop integration, keyword linking, content and commerce, acqui-hire, internet technology, data links