Sandbox

Sandboxer acquires ASmallWorld

October 21st, 2009 by Sandbox

As reported last week by several media sources, Sandbox member and investor Patrick Liotard bought out Harvey Weinstein‘s shares in the exclusive online social community ASmallWorld and became the Chairman of the company.

We met him in Zurich on Monday to learn more about his vision concerning the future of his new acquisition.

Hi Patrick, can you tell us a few words about yourself?

The Huffington Post and the Los Angeles Times describe me as a Swiss mogul. A German newspaper called me a young billionaire. I would describe myself as a simple, 25 year-old entrepreneur with a vision, clear goals and values, who is actively involved in his businesses. Besides Sandbox, I have invested in about 40 companies among which Poken, a social business card company. I am also the CEO of The World’s Finest Clubs.

You became Chairman of ASmallWorld last week, does it mean that you plan to be actively involved with the company?

Yes, I will be in New York for the next two weeks and then on a regular basis. At the moment I think I will spend around 50% of my time for ASmallWorld and the rest on my other ventures and projects.

What is your vision for ASmallWorld?

My vision is to grow the network in quality and in quantity. Growth in quality means that we are currently thinking about a more restrictive invitation process. Until now, a percentage of the members could invite others if they fulfilled some criteria in terms of activity, number of contacts, location and length of membership. Now we are thinking of a country club-like system to improve the quality. We would request two invitations from different people and build a system of local Ambassadors. In terms of quantity, my goal would be to have 2 million members from 200 cities around the world.

How do you plan to earn money?

ASmallWorld is a travel, lifestyle and entertainment oriented platform. We are attractive for the advertising industry. At the moment we are also thinking about introducing premium memberships. The members would pay for real benefits such as hotel booking services, ticket reservations or access to the best clubs. I see good synergies with The World’s Finest Clubs in this regard.

Patrick offers an invitation to ASmallWorld to all Sandbox members. Contact Sara for more information.