« The Wiggles and the Children's Music Business | Main | Copernicus vs. Ptolemy: Why Innovations Sometimes Look Dumb »

Latest Stories

• Bubbles are Good For You Because ... They Are
• Quote of the Day: Commodities Markets
• San Diego Homes Bottoming?
• The Myth of the Angel Investor
• Pete Peterson on Subprime, Bailouts, etc.

January 15, 2007

WeatherBill: Someone's Finally Doing Something About the Weather

Given the freakish recent North American weather -- green Christmas in Ottawa; crop-killing frosts in Los Angeles; repeated wind storms in Vancouver -- and the growing business nervousness about global warming,  WeatherBill could hardly be better timed. In effect, a tool to allow people to create their own weather-related short- and long-term insurance policies -- and it will appeal to a broad swath of companies whose business are weather-affected.

I have written here many times that weather is one of the biggest unplumbed entrepreneurial opportunities out there, and I've been meaning to mention David Friedberg and the team at WeatherBill since I first heard about it months ago.

To be realistic, of course, this will be far from easy to pull off. A great set of Flash-based tools doesn't not a business make, and there are a host of folks who have many years of experience in trading unusual futures and contracts, all with far deeper pockets than Mssr Friedberg and company (despite their recently-closed financing round with NEA, et al.).

Nevertheless, I love the idea, and WeatherBill remains one to watch closely.

Sphere It   |   Digg it   |   Bookmark it   |   Stumble it

Comments