Whrrl 3 Launches With A Promise: “We’ll Save You From Farmville”

Whrrl Brings People Together with Real Ideas of Real Things to do in the Real World

Seattle, WA – March 11, 2010 – Pelago today announced the launch of their iPhone application, Whrrl 3, the cure for people afflicted by dreaded Social Rut.

Social Rut affects millions. People go out to the same places over and over again, trapped in the “what do you want to do? I don’t know, what do you want to do?” loop. But it’s become worse in recent months — now, people spend countless hours throwing sheep at each other’s Facebook walls, playing Mafia Wars to level infinity and hoeing each other’s virtual gardens on Farmville, all under the guise of “being social.” Whrrl promises to bring people together in the real world, to open doors to new and interesting things to do, and truly end Social Rut.

“We have a very simple premise: people are inspired by the things other people do. Through Whrrl, I recently learned of an amazing mountain biking park close to my home in Seattle, and seeing my friends’ adventures there made me crave the experience for myself. In Whrrl 3, we unleash inspiration by helping people who have similar real-world tastes come together in a game-like way to share experiences and ideas,” said Jeff Holden, Founder and CEO of Pelago. “We put those ideas — whether to head out to a mountain biking park, try a specific drink or dish at a particular restaurant or to join a nearby friend right now — at your fingertips with unprecedented relevancy.  This is how, together, we will end Social Rut.

Whrrl 3 is built on the powerful idea of Societies — groups of people with similar real-world patterns. Everyone has deep, untapped expertise based on experiences they have had at the places they go. This expertise is rarely shared, however, because there has been no appropriate forum where it’s clear the recipients will care and be able to access it at the right time. Societies are this forum. Now, people with shared passions can finally exchange their recommendations and experiences, knowing they’ll always be at their fingertips based on their location.

Today, at SXSW in Austin, TX, Whrrl will launch the Austin Underground Society, which will provide members with at-your-fingertips access to the hottest parties, events, and other fun things to do at the conference. Furthermore, 50+ Austin merchants are participating to provide Underground members with exclusive offers. Whrrl 3 users simply check in to places at SXSW to unlock membership to the Austin Underground Society and redeem the offers by showing their phones to the merchants. Notable participating merchants include Four Seasons Hotel Austin, Outback Steakhouse, Cool River Cafe, Chuggin’ Monkey, J Black’s, Red Fez and Third Base, among many others.

Here’s Whrrl 3 in a nutshell:

• Check In, Share Experiences, Invite Others to Join You – Users check in to the places they go with total control over the privacy level, from completely private to public and with the ability to share to Facebook and Twitter. As always, users can add photos and notes to their check-ins to share out their experiences. Now, users can invite others to join them where they’re checked in. Photos and notes from people checked in together are pooled for easy sharing.
• Societies — Every place has its own Society, and there are now over 60 multi-place Societies nationwide that users join by checking in (in some cases during certain times of day and days of week), such as Foodies, Jimmy Hendrix, Indie Music, Night Owls and Pinball Wizards, among many others.
• Recommendations (with Photos!) – Create recommendations to capture and share all those ideas you have for specific things to do at places. Target your recs to just friends or to any of your Societies. Photos can be added to any recommendation. Why just say it when you can show it?
• Influence Points — Every time you check in, you earn points. Create recommendations, get more points. But here’s the kicker: when you inspire others with your check-ins, recommendations and stories, you get even more points. People can “want to,” “did it” and “re-recommend” each other’s recommendations. As you earn points, you level up in your Societies.
• Ideas — Recommendations, whether created by others in your Societies, friends or Whrrl’s algorithms, come together in one new Ideas tab that shows the most relevant nearby things to do.
• Merchant Offers — Hundreds of merchants (and counting!) have created offers exclusive to Whrrl users. Users redeem the offers simply by showing the Whrrl 3 redeem screen on their phone. Offers can be made for members of Societies and even to members at specific levels of Societies. A coffeehouse owner might offer a free latte’ for a new member of its Society, 10% off all purchases for Insider-level members, 20% off for VIPs and 30% off for Trendsetters, their most loyal customers.
• Special Privileges — As users level up in Societies, they will unlock new Whrrl capabilities, like the ability to curate a Society or even create their own Societies. There are many such privileges waiting to be discovered, and more in the works.
• Fun Facts — With every check-in, Whrrl gives you a little tidbit of interesting information about the place, the area or your or your friends’ relationship with place.
• New User Interface — A fresh new look and app organization make Whrrl 3 the most fun-to-use and powerful Whrrl to date.

About Pelago
Pelago was founded to revolutionize the way people experience the physical world. Whrrl 3, the company’s flagship product, endeavors to end Social Rut, an affliction impacting millions that keeps people from experiencing adventure in their daily lives.  Pelago was founded in 2006, is based in Seattle, and led by an executive team from companies including Amazon, RealNetworks and Yahoo. The company is backed by pioneering Internet and mobile investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Bezos Expeditions, T-Venture, Trilogy Equity Partners and Reliance Technology Ventures. For more information, visit www.pelago.com

CONTACTS: Heather Meeker                                                                Sarah Brown

Director of PR and Marketing                       Director of Business Development for Austin

heather@pelago.com                                        sarah@whrrl.com

310.435.3535                                          310.795.7465

Whrrl Brings The History Of Rock And Roll To The Palm Of Your Hand

Partnership with EMP and The Max’s Kansas City Company enables anyone to follow in the footsteps of their favorite artists and say “I was here too”

SEATTLE, WA – March 2, 2010 – Pelago, makers of Whrrl, today announced a partnership with the Experience Music Project (EMP) and The Max’s Kansas City Company to promote places and stories about the iconic artists, famous locations and memorable events that make up the cornerstone of America’s rock history – based on location, and right to the mobile phone. With much of the rich history of rock and roll trapped in manuscripts, interviews, books and memories, this important initiative takes formerly inaccessible material and makes it available to everyone in the palm of their hands.

Users can follow in the footsteps of their favorite artists by checking into select locations on Whrrl. Currently, there’s more than 125 stories at over 100 places in six cities around the nation – and more locations added daily. Upon check in, users can discover annotations and stories about the artists who once graced the stage, and information about the venue itself. Where did Aerosmith get discovered? What was the venue where Nirvana first played “Smells Like Teen Spirit?” Where was Bruce Springsteen a regular performer? Now anyone can say, “I was here, too!”

“The Experience Music Project’s mission is to provide dynamic, multifaceted, ever-changing experiences through new and exciting explorations of American popular music that both entertain and engage visitors in the creative process,” said  Tomi Douglas,  Director of Marketing and Audience Development at EMP. “We believe our mission aligns with that of Whrrl perfectly, whereby our content and their platform can enable anyone to have new adventures and relive memorable moments of our nation’s rock and roll history.”

“It’s hard to believe that I’ve walked by my local grocery store a million times and had no idea that Birdland, a very famous venue, once stood there,” said Jeff Holden, Founder and CEO of Pelago. “This is the exact place that Jimi Hendrix spent countless hours teaching himself how to play guitar as a teen. One check in and I already feel more connected to the history of my own neighborhood.”

In addition to viewing stories about America’s history of rock and roll, users will also be able to unlock memberships into exclusive music societies on Whrrl. Societies are micro-communities of like-minded people that visit the same places and have the same passions. Current societies include:

• EMP:  Locations in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC, Minneapolis and San Francisco. Societies include Seattle Grunge, LA Punk Rock, New York Rock ‘n’ Roll, The Prince Society and San Francisco Sound.
• Max’s Kansas City:  Stories about the famous rockers who frequented their historic location, including Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Aerosmith and The Ramones.
• You can learn more about these societies and how to unlock membership by visiting the Whrrl blog at www.whrrl.com

“Max’s Kansas City is one of New York’s most important cultural icons, and was known as the spot where the worlds of art, music and fashion exploded from the 1960s-80s,” said Marni Wandner, who runs Maxskansascity.com. “Many of the most famous creative people of that era hung out there, and the effects of their work are still felt throughout New York City. There are so many artists and musicians inspired by them, and we’re excited to see these stories find a larger stage through this partnership.”

About Pelago
Pelago was founded to revolutionize the way people experience the physical world. Whrrl, the company’s flagship product, seeks to increase the possibility of real-world adventure and human connection in our daily lives by bringing together people who share real-world visit patterns, and enabling them to inspire each other with their knowledge and experiences. Pelago was founded in 2006, is based in Seattle, and led by an executive team from companies including Amazon, RealNetworks and Yahoo. The company is backed by pioneering Internet and mobile investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Bezos Expeditions, T-Venture, Trilogy Equity Partners and Reliance Technology Ventures. For more information, visit www.pelago.com

About The Experience Music Project (EMP)

EMP|SFM is dedicated to the exploration of creativity and innovation in popular music. EMP captures and reflects the essence of rock ‘n’ roll, and its influence on other recent genres using interpretive, interactive exhibitions with cutting-edge technology. EMP is proud to present its latest exhibition, Taking Aim: Unforgettable Rock ‘n’ Roll Photographs Selected by Graham Nash running at EMP through May 23, 2010. The exhibition will begin touring summer 2010. www.empsfm.org

About The Max’s Kansas City Company

Max’s Kansas City is dedicated to propelling and exploring the fusion of art, fashion and music. In the same way the original Max’s represented the melting pot of “pop culture” for its generation, the new Max’s aims to be a progressive and dynamic genre of “avant-garde art culture” for today’s artistic community.  From the storied history of the legendary establishment that Mickey Ruskin built, and onwards into the future, The Max’s Kansas City Company will continue to be the authenticator and gold standard of all creative movements in art, music and fashion. For more information, visit: www.maxskansascity.com
CONTACTS: Heather Meeker – Pelago        Marni Wandner – The Max’s Kansas City Company

heather@pelago.com              marni@sneakattackmedia.com

310.435.3535                                212.481.3400

Maggie Skinner – Experience Music Project

206-262-3245

maggies@empsfm.org