Web 3.0: A VC Primer for the Next Step in the Internet's Evolution




Looking towards the future is an inevitable aspect of VC technology investing,and while we all dislike catch phrases or "trends-dujour", it is critical to understand the implications of the next looming step in Web evolution (download this primer here).
Problem: The Internet is currently a jumble of data categorized for people BUT searched by computers.
Solution: Create a system that allows computers to understand the meaning of the data the way people understand language like using words to form a sentence.
Web 3.0 is the unification of disparate data systems thru standardization making the Internet intuitive for people and computers alike, hence, the "Semantic Web" which emphasizes the
real meaning of data on the Internet. The goal is to treat data objects like ideas and real
language thereby achieving the real meaning of the "information age".
Here are the highlights of the direction of Web 3.0 and what it will mean to any VC investor looking to capitalize off this evolution:


  • Personalization: web-experience then focuses on the individual, personalization = iGoogle, Netvibes, customized home pages, aggregators & mash-ups
  • Intelligent Search: next generation of search will be dynamic, rather than just keywords-based; it uses the data itself to produce results for user by understanding the context of the data and verbiage in order to produce results, ie search for Bali, results in travel arrangements, backpacker blog, maps of recommended sites, restaurant ratings, local events, etc.
  • Relevance: Contextual Advertising: focused, personalized, meaningful & nonintrusive; such Engagement Ads on Facebook that blend marketing, live polls, & mixed media. Also, social media apps that allow for sharing of ratings of purchases and include targeted advertisements based on preferences.
  • Unification: vision of the web as joined and empowered by accepted syntax of data taxonomy and standardized programming languages - this allows computers to comprehend the meaning and process it just like people do, hence like real language.


The onus is on VCs to find companies that can create or leverage these new forms of data relation & presentation. Web 3.0 is mainly about convergence and the shifting of websites into web services that provide something tangible out of the garble of the web that users can both use and perhaps pay for.
Examples:
Layar: Mobile augmented reality browser: iPhone App that combines the Internet, cell coverage, GPS, & camera on a smartdevice so you can point your device down a street and see overlays of what shops are where and what you do or buy. http://layar.eu/
PeopleBrowsR: Social Networking Aggregator: Indexes and combines different social profiles into a primary interface to manage and better use them
Facebook Apps - Twangu: Collaborative shopping portal: Create & join teams of buyers for products or services and have vendors bid against each other for your business; review user’s profiles for info on items and share info with them
Download the Web 3.0 Primer here

Comments

Unknown said…
You fully match our expectation and the selection of our data.Sequoia India
June 18, 2015 at 7:57 AM
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