Pajama Entrepreneur

Apptizr is an online application that helps you find high quality iPhone applications that match your interests. Here’s the problem that Apptizr addresses: there are thousands of applications on the iTunes App store and the only ones you see prominently displayed are the most popular (usually gaming). If you have more esoteric interests, it’s like digging into a large pile of leaves. Similarly, if you have a wide range of interests — meditation, cooking, travel, photography — then searching for apps is just as maddening. But your search doesn’t end there. You want only the apps that received high marks from other users. This is where Apptizr shines. It goes through the app store and finds the applications that suit your interests and are highly regarded by other users.

When you join Apptizr, you specifiy your interests and hobbies, then it recommends applications from the Apple App store which fit those interests.

You give apps the thumbs up or thumbs down, and tell it which apps you already have, so that it learns and delivers even more relevant search results.

Q&A with David Li

Who are the founders of Apptizr?

Apptizr was created by Third Avenue Labs, a company that Aren Sandersen and I, jointly founded. Aren and I have worked in the mobile/wireless space; I was at Paypal and later Ebay, while Aren worked at Danger.

Where are you based?

Mountain View, CA.

When did you launch Apptizr?

2009.

What motivated you to create Apptizr?

We were frustrated trying to find high-quality iPhone applications for the variety of interests that we had. It took too much time to wade through the ITunes App store. The problem is only getting worse as more and more applications developers throw their apps into the store.

Where is Apptizr most popular?

We have served more than 2.5 million recommendations but mostly in the US. Ten percent of our users are not from the US.

Are you self funded?

Yes.

How do you make money from Apptizr?

We have an affiliate shopping deal with the iTunes App store. We receive a 5% referral fee for purchases from the store. Later we plan to integrate sponsored searches and ads, but we want to make sure that the ads do not compromise the search/filtering results that we provide to our users.

Where do you see Apptizr at the end of 2010?

We plan to expand to iTunes App stores outside the US and to offer Apptizr for other mobile platforms like Android which also has an app store. We want to improve the core service so that the filtered results are ever more relevant and helpful.