Foursquare Cherry-Picks Yahoo Mobile Exec, Sets Sights on OEMs
Holger Luedorf leaves Internet giant for Foursquare, bolstering the geo-social brand's reputation on multiple fronts.
Yahoo’s Holger Luedorf is taking his expertise for landing mobile partnerships to an emerging brand that could use some help in that area – Foursquare. Luedorf has already exited Yahoo, where he was director of strategic partnerships, and will become VP of mobile partnerships for the location-based service next week, according to a TechCrunch report this morning.
The hire is a win for Foursquare on at least two fronts. First, Luedorf’s experience striking deals with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Nokia could open new terrain for Foursquare. Evan Cohen, GM for the New York-based company, reportedly told TechCrunch that Luedorf’s job will be to reel in “awesome partnerships with mobile carriers and OEMs that get Foursquare apps distribution on handsets around the world.”
Additionally, Luedorf’s move validates Foursquare’s viability as a mobile and location-based services player at a time when others are entering the space. On Monday, Twitter announced its geo-social offering, Places, which includes Foursquare and Gowalla integration. And Facebook has been preparing for some time to jump into the location-based game.
Follow Christopher Heine on Twitter at @ChrisClickZ.
