While it doesn’t have any sort of valid office in Europe, Foursquare does have its first European employee. Yes, Foursquare has hired the London-based Omid Ashtari as Director of Business Development. Woo hoo!
Before the Foursquare opportunity knocked, Ashtari attended the University of Working At Google, where he spent seven years plugging away in sales and business development roles — migrating between Dublin, San Francisco and London.
According to Foursquare representative Erin Gleason, the location-based check-in app has seen over 600% growth in Europe, with over five million places represented on the continent.
Omid’s primary responsibilities revolve around facilitating valuable media, brand and large retailer partnerships. Gleason tells me that Foursquare has no current plans to hire more international employees or open up any additional office space.
Wow, that sounds so lonely. Hang in there Omid.
Foursquare is a geographical location based social network that incorporates gaming elements. Users share their location with friends by “checking in” via a smartphone app or by text message. Points are awarded for checking in at various venues. Users can connect their Foursquare accounts to their Twitter and Facebook accounts, which can update when a check in is registered. By checking in a certain number of times, or in different locations, users can collect virtual badges. In addition, users...
Omid Ashtari is Director of Business Development for foursquare and is focused on expanding the European footprint through strategic partnerships. Before joining foursquare, Omid spent 7 years with Google in Dublin, London and San Francisco. During his Google tenure he held multiple positions in sales and business development, working with a broad range of clients and partners across the globe. Omid holds a bachelor’s degree in European Business Administration from Cologne Business School Germany and graduated with Honors. He...
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