ShowNearby

ShowNearby Pte Ltd was a Singaporean location-based service provider, established on March 31, 2008, by co-founders Douglas Gan and Lee Changjin. Gan, a serial technopreneur, demonstrated his business acumen from a young age, starting with selling toys in kindergarten and later founding a web hosting company, PureHostings, as a teenager. His journey included early financial success, significant losses in stock trading, and a renewed focus on using technology to improve lives, which culminated in the creation of ShowNearby. The company emerged during the 2008 financial crisis, a testament to Gan's resilience.

The firm developed a free mobile application for Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry devices that enabled users to discover points of interest in their immediate vicinity. This core service provided a directory of places and services, tapping into the growing smartphone market in Singapore. The application served individual users looking for convenience and local information.

ShowNearby's business model was centered on providing a marketing platform for other businesses. It offered a suite of solutions allowing public and private organizations to run targeted promotions and marketing campaigns based on a user's location. This allowed companies to establish a mobile presence and integrate location-based advertising into their marketing strategies. In 2010, the company was acquired by Yellow Pages Singapore, marking a significant milestone.

Keywords: ShowNearby, Douglas Gan, Lee Changjin, location-based services, mobile application, Singapore, points of interest, mobile marketing, advertising platform, Yellow Pages acquisition, local search, LBS, mobile directory, geotagging, promotions, startup, technopreneur, Asia, local discovery, mapping services