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Business in Vancouver July 15-21, 2008; issue 977 Local tech community wants founders of Flickr photo sharing Internet site back in Vancouver Bring Stewart and Caterina Home! Facebook page launched after couple resign from Yahoo Inc. Curt Cherewayko A trio of Vancouver Internet entrepreneurs has created a Facebook page dedicated to luring back to B.C. the husband-and-wife team that founded Flickr, the widely popular photo-sharing Internet site. Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake founded Flickr in Vancouver in 2004. They sold it a year later to Yahoo Inc. for an undisclosed amount, but media reports estimated the acquisition price to be in the $20 million to $40 million range. Both Butterfield and Fake resigned from executive roles with Yahoo’s Flickr company in recent weeks. A Yahoo spokesman confirmed that Fake’s last day was June 13; Butterfield’s last day is scheduled to be July 12. Their departure from Yahoo has ignited speculation in B.C. that the San Francisco couple might return to the province. “If they were to come back here and start another company again, I think that would be a real big deal for Vancouver,” said Jordan Behan, director of community relations at Vancouver’s Strutta. The Vancouver startup has developed a video-sharing site where users can compete with peers for recognition as anything from the best juggler and most incredible skydiver to the funniest prank caller. Behan created the “Bring Caterina and Stewart Home!” page with Danny Robinson and Boris Mann. The two founded Vancouver’s Bootup Labs, an incubator launched in January to help startups in the web, mobile and casual gaming space develop and raise early stage financing. The page is a playful, tongue-in-cheek exercise, but Behan said there’s strategy behind it. “We’re making it our personal mission to put the Vancouver startup scene in the spotlight,” he said. “Nothing would help more than to have [Butterfield and Fake] come back home again and start working on something new.” Added Behan: “they bring with them the attention of Silicon Valley, whether the valley likes it or not.” The page has 80 members, many of whom are employed as bloggers, consultants, web marketers and programmers with various technology companies in B.C. Other members of the page include veterans in B.C.’s tech community like Dick Hardt, co-founder of Vancouver’s ActiveState Corp., which was sold to the U.K.’s Sophos Plc for US$23 million in 2003; and Lynda Brown-Ganzert, a former president of New Media BC who is now vice-president of digital media, entertainment and technology with public-relations company Edelman Canada. Even Butterfield has joined the page, but aside from posting a few irreverent comments on it, he has yet to provide any insight into what he and Fake have planned following their departure from Yahoo! – part of what is being called a “mass exodus” of executives from the company. • cgc@biv.com |
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