A Conversation with Dennis Crowley & Jeff Glueck, Foursquare

Dennis Crowley and Jeff Glueck discussed the future of location technology and how Foursquare has evolved from a check-in app to a powerful location intelligence company that powers Apple, Snapchat, Capital One, Uber, Twitter, Microsoft, Samsung, and over 100,000 other developers whose services depend on location information.

When Foursquare was founded in 2009, the idea was that people would use the app to "check in" and share their location and recommendations with friends. In 2014, the apps split into Foursquare Swarm (the check-in app) and Foursquare City Guide, the exploration app, which guides users to the best possible places wherever they go.

The biggest evolution for the company, however, has come over the past three years, as Foursquare has created a host of powerful location intelligence solutions for enterprises. In addition to powering location data for some of the world's biggest tech platforms, the company also provides advertising, measurement and foot traffic analytics for the world's leading advertisers, hedge funds, retailers and more. In demonstration of the power and accuracy of its data and technology, the company has shared insightful analyses of consumer behavior, including famously and accurately predicting sales for Apple and Chipotle.

Cofounder & executive chairman Dennis Crowley and CEO Jeff Glueck together are creating innovative ways to power consumer experiences and inform business decisions - all with the power of location intelligence.

Dennis Crowley
Cofounder & Executive Chairman, Foursquare



Dennis is co-founder and executive chairman of Foursquare, overseeing strategic vision for product and innovation. Before stepping into his current role, Dennis was the company’s CEO for nearly seven years. He previously founded Dodgeball, one of the first mobile social services, which was acquired by Google in 2005.

He holds degrees from New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.

Jeff Glueck
CEO, Foursquare



Jeff became CEO of Foursquare in January 2016, after 18 months as COO of the company. Prior, Jeff was CEO of Skyfire Labs, a Silicon Valley-based mobile technology company acquired by Opera Software. He co-founded site59.com, an online travel company that grew to over $100 million in sales in two years, and was acquired by Travelocity. In the following seven years he served as chief marketing officer at Travelocity, where sales expanded from $3 billion to $11 billion globally, he introduced the “roaming gnome” and launched a fast-growing contextual advertising business.

Previously, Jeff was a strategy consultant at Monitor Company and served as a White House Fellow in the Clinton Administration. He holds a master’s degree from Oxford as a Marshall Scholar and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College.

Moderated By:
Amy Farley
Senior Editor, Fast Company

Senior editor Amy Farley oversees Fast Company’s front-of-book Next section, covering innovation and creativity in business. Before joining Fast Company, she was the news editor and columnist at Travel + Leisure, where she headed up consumer news in print and online and commissioned features from award-winning writers. She also pioneered the magazine’s coverage of environmental and social justice issues.

This event is exclusive to Media Council members and other invited guests. To find out more about Media Council membership, contact mediacouncil@paleycenter.org.