See the comments at the bottom of the page to get an update on how Jumptap has repositioned itself.

I have mixed feelings about any company that decides to take on Google. In one sense I think that they must be extremely stupid, and in another sense, I love the ambition. What seems crazier is taking on Google in their core area of expertise: search. But that’s exactly what Jumptap is doing. Now, they’re not trying to build a new web search engine (that’d be really crazy), but they are aiming to be the name in mobile search. Jumptap is headquartered in Cambridge, MA (with regional offices in NYC and Tel Aviv, Israel), and they realize how much potential there is to make money selling advertising on top of mobile search results. The key difference between what Jumptap and Google are doing with mobile search is that Jumptap is building a unique search experience for mobile users, while Google’s mobile search delivers results that are generally the same as what you’d find when you’re sitting at home on computer.

Jump to Jumptap

Here’s how Jumptap CEO Dan Olschwang explained it in a TechCrunch article back in 2008:

We have a little different approach. We present a more usable result on the mobile phone than incumbent search engines. We are not trying to take Web results and shrink them onto a small screen. If you are standing on a street and looking for Tylenol for your baby, you are not interested in the recent press release. You are interested in the closest open drug store.

A search engine that heavily bases rankings on incoming links like Google does will struggle with a lot of the searches that mobile users use. Jumptap thinks that their algorithm will do a better job of helping you find an open drug store. I haven’t tried their search platform, but I hope they’re able to do it. It would be a huge success and a boon for mobile searchers. If you want to help Jumptap accomplish this, you should take a look at their Jobs page. There are quite a few positions posted, but the most suitable for new grads—their Media Specialist position—has it’s own mini-site. The positions starts with a paid 60-day training program, and continues with full-time employment if you make it through. Additionally, Jumptap has positions like Ad Sales Account Executive (New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Texas), Inside Sales – Account Executives, User Experience Designer, Account Manager – Performance Advertising, and Account Manager – Advertising Operations. You can find all of the full descriptions on Jumptap’s Jobs page.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• Jumptap.com
• Jobs at Jumptap
• About Jumptap
• Management at Jumptap
• Jumptap’s Blog
• Jumptap News
• Jumptap’s Partners

What do you think about Jumptap’s going up against Google?

We've identified Jumptap as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• account management
• advertising
• all employers
• California
• design
• international
• Israel
• Massachusetts
• mobile
• New York
• sales
• software development
• Texas
• user experience

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One response to “Jumptap”

1. Willy Franzen says:

   May 21, 2010 at 11:01 am

   I received the following e-mail from Nat Taylor at Jumptap because some of the information included in this post is a bit outdated. Here’s what he said:

   Would you consider updating the information you have posted about Jumptap, as it is outdated. We are now a mobile ad network, having moved on from mobile search. This is a more accurate description of our current operations:

   Jumptap operates the largest independent premium mobile advertising network in North America, offering the largest unique user footprint with a penetration of approximately 63 million unique visits a month in the U.S. alone. Jumptap leverages its highly advanced algorithmic engine and unique IP to deliver the best ROI for advertisers and the highest monetization for publishers. The result is a network of mobile websites and applications that combine best-in-class content and services together with highly relevant advertising to create an experience that appeals to the mobile consumer. Flexible solutions offer both fixed CPM and bidded CPC campaigns.

   Reply