When people talk about Google Street View, the conversations tend to focus on either privacy or its undeniable “neat” factor. Thanks to Google’s success in other areas, profitability just doesn’t come up. But EveryScape has built its business around similar virtual tours, and the company just raised $7 million in funding.
Everyscape.com
That’s not bad, eh? And while competing with one of Google’s products is generally a foolish thing to do, EveryScape has found a smart way of going about the task.
On the money front, Chris Reidy reports, “Everyscape has said that it thinks that local businesses that appear in an online street scape might be willing to advertise on the site or pay for a sponsored link.” This seems likely, given how tourists should use the tool.
Also, in regards to competition, EveryScape tends to offer views of places Google hasn’t gone near. Take Beijing as an example – if you want to thoroughly explore it online, EveryScape is your only option. And even when there is an overlap – both companies have covered parts of Boston – EveryScape sometimes lets users leave the street and go inside buildings.
The only problem remains the matter of publicity. EveryScape doesn’t even have its own Wikipedia entry; Google is mentioned by people in everyday conversations. The $7 million should help address this issue, though; a press release states, “EveryScape will use the financing to grow its sales force, accelerate new city launches and fuel new community features.”
