2008: Rearden Commerce Has A Heck Of A Year

One of my favorite startups in Silicon Valley is Rearden Commerce . Few people have heard of it despite the fact that the company has been around since before the first Internet bust in 2000 and has raised $200 million in capital, most of it recently. The reason few people have heard of Rearden is because they are a behind-the-scene service. They offer a sort of automated assistant that helps people organize travel needs. In 2007 I called it "mashups for adults:" Their strategy to date has been to sign large corporate customers and create customized websites for their employees. The service acts very much like a personal assistant. Set your profile up with the types of restaurants you like, whether you like aisle or window seats, and your preferred car provider, and Rearden will book all aspects of your trip for you.