TechNet Welcomes User Review Site Yelp as New Member

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- TechNet, the bipartisan policy and political network of CEOs that promotes the growth of the innovation economy, today announced the addition of Yelp (yelp.com) as a new TechNet member.

Yelp, the nation's largest online consumer review guide helps people find great local businesses to patronize, based on the informed opinions of a vibrant and active community of individuals. In November 2010, the site had more than 39 million unique monthly visitors and since its launch more than 14 million reviews have been posted to the site.  

"We are very proud to welcome Yelp to TechNet and to work with them to enact public policies that support the growth of innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit that fuels our economy," said Rey Ramsey, President and CEO of TechNet.  "Yelp is a terrific company that is moving to the next level in its growth stage with millions of monthly visitors and hundreds of employees."

"TechNet is the nation's premier organization representing the innovation industry and the policies that matter to our sector," said Jeremy Stoppelman, Co-Founder and CEO of Yelp.  "We look forward to working with TechNet on the important issues of providing consumers and businesses with trustworthy information online, protecting commercial speech online and promoting entrepreneurship and innovation across the board."

Jeremy Stoppelman co-founded Yelp in July 2004 with former colleague Russel Simmons. Prior to Yelp, Jeremy was the VP of engineering at PayPal. He left PayPal in the summer of 2003 to attend Harvard Business School. He joined a start-up incubator in 2004 and left Harvard to launch Yelp. Jeremy holds a B.S. in computer engineering from the University of Illinois.

Yelp has quickly expanded to seven countries (US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Austria) and has developed popular mobile applications for the iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Palm Pre and WAP, to help users tap into Yelp reviews on the go.

TechNet 2010 Policy Agenda:

Creating a Globally Competitive Business Environment. To preserve America's economic leadership, TechNet is working to create a national environment ripe for the kind of innovation and risk taking that drive economic growth and job creation. TechNet works with policymakers to develop the broad array of policies, practices and infrastructure that foster innovation and ensure America's continued leadership in the global marketplace, including:

• Tax Policy. TechNet supports tax policies that allow American companies to compete on a level playing field in the global economy.
• Broadband and Internet Policy. TechNet supports the growth and vitality of a safe, secure and free Internet, and policies that deliver consumer access to Internet content and services via next generation broadband deployment.
• Basic Research. TechNet supports strong national investments in research and development through increased federal funding for basic research and a permanent R&D tax credit.
• Patent Litigation Reform. The federal government must advance proposals that protect intellectual property and end abusive lawsuits brought by plaintiffs using patents as a means of obtaining settlements from legitimate technology businesses.
• Health IT. Encourage federal, state and corporate initiatives that drive the adoption of a modern, integrated and digital U.S. health care system that will lower costs and improve the quality of health care.

• Growing Clean Technologies: Clean energy can create millions of jobs and address the challenges of national, economic and environmental security our nation faces today. But right now, the U.S. lags behind other nations in the race to become the leader in the next great global industry.
  • A National Energy Plan. TechNet seeks a bipartisan national energy plan that puts a price on carbon and substantially increases related research and development.

• Developing a 21st Century Workforce. America's economic leadership is a reflection of our historic national commitment to a quality education for everyone. But other countries are surpassing the U.S. in preparing their children for the jobs of tomorrow. TechNet supports policies that ensure our nation has the knowledge workers to drive economic growth into the future.
  • Education. The public and private sectors must work together to improve science and math education, and increase the number of Americans attaining degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  
  • High-Skilled Immigration. TechNet promotes comprehensive immigration reform including an increase in the H-1B visa cap and reforms to the employment-based green card process to ensure the U.S. has a highly skilled workforce to meet today's needs.

About TechNet:

TechNet is the national, bipartisan network of CEOs that promotes the growth of technology industries and the economy by building long-term relationships between technology leaders and policymakers and by advocating a targeted policy agenda. TechNet's members represent more than one million employees in the fields of information technology, clean energy, biotechnology, e-commerce and finance. TechNet has offices in Washington, DC, Palo Alto, Sacramento, Seattle, Boston and Austin, Texas. Web address: www.technet.org. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @technetupdate.

SOURCE TechNet