- conflicts or gaps
- [[{"field": "founding_year", "conflict": "Sources disagree: MRWeb says 'Launched in 2009'; TechCrunch, YCDB, YC, and Wikipedia say founded 2010.", "source_urls": ["https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news20046.htm", "https://techcrunch.com/2012/03/14/500friends-raises-4-5m-series-a-for-its-social-loyalty-platform/", "https://www.ycdb.co/company/500friends"]}, {"field": "seed_round_amount", "conflict": "Kando/VC databases report $1.4M (Dec 2009); Startup Intros reports $1M seed.", "source_urls": ["https://www.kando.tech/company/500friends-inc", "https://startupintros.com/orgs/500friends"]}, {"field": "total_equity_raised", "conflict": "Reported totals vary: ~$10.9M (BetaKit), $11.0–11.52M (Startup Intros/CB Insights), $12M (TechCrunch).", "source_urls": ["https://betakit.com/500friends-adds-5m-looks-to-bring-retailers-up-to-speed-with-social-loyalty-program/", "https://www.cbinsights.com/company/500friends", "https://techcrunch.com/2013/03/12/500friends-series-b/"]}, {"field": "team_size_at_exit", "conflict": "TechCrunch (Nov 2014) reports 'more than 30 people'; YC profile lists team size 51.", "source_urls": ["https://techcrunch.com/2014/11/18/merkle-acquires-500friends/", "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/500friends"]}, {"field": "acquisition_price", "conflict": "Primary sources (TechCrunch, MRWeb, Cooley) state terms undisclosed. Startup Intros alone reports ~$50M; not corroborated by primary reporting.", "source_urls": ["https://techcrunch.com/2014/11/18/merkle-acquires-500friends/", "https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news20046.htm", "https://startupintros.com/orgs/500friends"]}, {"field": "co_founder_name", "conflict": "Startup Intros lists co-founder as 'Hong Quan'; all other sources identify co-founder as Hong Hu.", "source_urls": ["https://startupintros.com/orgs/500friends", "https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news20046.htm", "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/500friends"]}, {"field": "justin_yoshimura_post_acquisition_title", "conflict": "TechCrunch (2014) reports VP of loyalty; Wikipedia reports senior VP of loyalty.", "source_urls": ["https://techcrunch.com/2014/11/18/merkle-acquires-500friends/", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Yoshimura"]}, {"field": "hong_hu_pre_500friends_work_history", "gap": "No primary-source pre-500friends employment history found in fetched sources; only post-exit roles documented.", "source_urls": ["https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/500friends"]}, {"field": "revenue_arr", "gap": "Company declined to disclose revenue at Series A (2012). Startup Intros cites ~$1.7M ARR pre-acquisition without primary corroboration in fetched sources.", "source_urls": ["https://techcrunch.com/2012/03/14/500friends-raises-4-5m-series-a-for-its-social-loyalty-platform/", "https://startupintros.com/orgs/500friends"]}, {"field": "silicon_valley_bank_role", "gap": "MRWeb lists Silicon Valley Bank among investors/backers; TechCrunch Series B mentions $2M venture debt without naming lender.", "source_urls": ["https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news20046.htm", "https://techcrunch.com/2013/03/12/500friends-series-b/"]}]]
- source urls
- ["https://betakit.com/500friends-adds-5m-looks-to-bring-retailers-up-to-speed-with-social-loyalty-program/", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Yoshimura", "https://newsroom.lmu.edu/campusnews/justin-yoshimura-joins-lmu-entrepreneurship-program/", "https://startupintros.com/orgs/500friends", "https://techcrunch.com/2012/03/14/500friends-raises-4-5m-series-a-for-its-social-loyalty-platform/", "https://techcrunch.com/2013/03/12/500friends-series-b/", "https://techcrunch.com/2014/11/18/merkle-acquires-500friends/", "https://www.cbinsights.com/company/500friends", "https://www.cooley.com/news/coverage/2014/500friends-acquired-by-merkle", "https://www.finsmes.com/2013/03/500friends-raises-5m-series-funding.html", "https://www.kando.tech/company/500friends-inc", "https://www.kando.tech/index.php/company/500friends-inc/funding/500friends-inc-funding-round-seed-2010-03-23", "https://www.merkle.com/en/merkle-now/press-releases/2016/500friends--a-merkle-company-named-a-leader-among-customer-loyal.html", "https://www.merkle.com/en/merkle-now/press-releases/2016/dentsu-aegis-network-to-acquire-a-majority-stake-in-merkle.html", "https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news20046.htm", "https://www.ycdb.co/company/500friends", "https://www.ycombinator.com/blog/500friends-yc-w10-raises-45m-series-a-for-its/", "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/500friends"]