PHOENIX — February 7, 2007 — Kosmix introduced today the first fundamental innovation in core search technology in years. Based on sophisticated, patent-pending algorithms, Kosmix presents a multi-dimensional view of search results that enables consumers to search less, while finding the most useful information on the Web more easily. Kosmix has applied its new search technology to two key market segments, unveiling Kosmix Health and Kosmix Travel (www.kosmix.com) here at the DEMO 2007 Conference.
For years, traditional search engines have presented results in a relevance-sorted list, while the recent trend in "vertical search" engines is to produce a limited slice of data for a single market. Meta-search engines simply combine results from other search engines, and clustering engines deliver an inconsistent experience for consumers.
In contrast, the Kosmix search engine—based on new algorithms and its own crawl and index—categorizes Web pages, producing a multi-dimensional view of the results. This approach reduces the number of clicks and queries it takes for users to find what really matters to them, and presents useful information they may not have considered otherwise.
For example, rather than present a list of millions of results for a particular search term such as "weight loss," Kosmix provides multiple views of its results presented in categories that make finding specific information easier and significantly more relevant. For "weight loss" these categories would include causes, treatments, case studies, babies and kids, men's health, women's health, etc., as well as blogs, medical organizations, and basic and expert information.
"There is a tremendous amount of information available on the Internet to answer virtually any question, but finding what's really useful is often difficult if your search result is one huge list," said Venky Harinarayan, co-founder of Kosmix. "Through categorization, the Kosmix core algorithms and technology provide more points of entry into search results, delivering information that is not only more relevant, but richer and more accessible."
Kosmix also gives content providers the unique opportunity to customize their search offering by incorporating their own content with rich Web information specific to their vertical segment. This Kosmix "flavored" search provides users with the most complete, highly relevant results, customized according to a particular point of view. For example, a Web site about women's health can present search results that are comprehensive, yet completely targeted and therefore highly relevant to women.
"Kosmix reminds us that search is in its infancy and that perhaps true innovation in search has been a long time coming," said Chris Shipley, executive producer of the DEMO conference. "Kosmix has the chance to significantly change the search experience by helping consumers to better handle the increasingly massive amounts of information on the Web and improve the accuracy of their search results within any category."
Kosmix has created a fundamentally new approach to search based on the development of patent-pending algorithms and technology that present a multi-dimensional view of relevant search results. The company was founded in 2004 by Venky Harinarayan and Anand Rajaraman, who also co-founded Junglee, a provider of database technology for helping consumers find products on the Internet, which was acquired by Amazon in 1998. Kosmix has filed more than 10 patents and has indexed more than 3.2 billion URLs and counting. Based in Mountain View, Calif., Kosmix is privately funded. Lead investors include Cambrian Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners. For more information: www.kosmix.com.
Kosmix Media Contact
Tina Nanez
(650) 938-2300
media@kosmix.com
