Cambridge, UK – June 15, 2010 – Taptu, the mobile search engine that indexes the Mobile Touch Web today announced it is opening a US office in Denver, Colorado, to drive business development, marketing and product management locally – a move prompted by Taptu’s rapidly-growing American audience. Former Yahoo Mobile European MD, Mitch Lazar, who joined the Taptu Board as a Non-Executive Director in March 2010, will head-up the new office as he steps into the role of President and Chief Operating Officer at Taptu.
Taptu Inc. will be located in the Denver Technology Centre (DTC) – one of Colorado’s major technological hubs, while its R&D will remain at the company’s UK headquarters in Cambridge. Lazar will be primarily based in Denver.
Lazar said: “I am excited to be leading the effort to build Taptu’s presence in the United States. Taptu is at a pivotal juncture as our audience continues to grow and the product continues to evolve. We recognize that establishing our formal presence Stateside is a critical step in the next phase of our company’s development and Denver is an ideal place for Taptu with its technology hub and convenient access to both the East and West coasts.”
Taptu CEO Steve Ives said: “It’s fantastic to have Mitch move from Non-Executive to President and COO. With Mitch joining and the opening up of Taptu Inc. this represents another milestone for Taptu. The US is one of the largest markets for Taptu and we already have a footprint in the market. A dedicated team on the ground will help us consolidate our position and take it to a new level.
About Mitch Lazar
Mitch has more than two decades’ experience in the media industry and has spent over 10 years building mobile businesses for some of the world’s largest media companies. Most recently, he was MD of Yahoo! Mobile in Europe, overseeing Yahoo’s mobile business and operations in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Before joining Yahoo! in 2005, he spent 12 years at Time Warner where he drove AOL’s and Turner Broadcasting’s wireless strategy and mobile distribution efforts worldwide. In the role, he partnered with hundreds of mobile operators worldwide to launch CNN and Cartoon Network mobile services. Mitch was an early pioneer in digital media and one of the founders of CNN.com in 1995. He began his career as a broadcast journalist, working in the US and South Korea.
