Yellow Pages Group launches a YellowAPI Developer Program

Today, Yellow Pages Group (YPG), Canada's leading performance media and marketing solutions company, launched a program that supports Canadian application developers and budding entrepreneurs in building market-ready location-based services.

The YellowAPI Developer Program will provide BETA funding as well as access to internal YPG resources (i.e. consultation on design, QA, legal guidance, etc.) to help web and mobile application developers in producing cross-platform apps.

"Entrepreneurship in Canada has long been a focus of ours as we've been helping small and medium-sized business grow through our marketing solutions. With the YellowAPI Developer Program, we continue to foster small businesses and also help drive forward local search innovation," said Stéphane Marceau, Chief Marketing Officer at Yellow Pages Group. "It's also a natural extension of our existing business model to extend the reach of our advertisers by feeding our listings to up-and-coming apps developed using our public platform at www.YellowAPI.com."

This is the latest step in YPG's commitment to supporting home-grown mobile and web-based innovation. The open and public API (application programming interface), YellowAPI.com launched just last year. Through the API, developers have access to 1.5 million verified and regularly updated Canadian business listings, providing the most accurate source of local business information in Canada.

YPG has hosted a series of "hack-a-thon" event across Canada sponsored by YellowAPI.com over the past year. These events brought together developers to compete and produce web or mobile application using a given API within a set period of time.

"It was from these events that the idea for a developer program was born," says Marceau. 

Five participants in these events have already been accepted into the YellowAPI Developer Program. The first four participants in the program, will push their applications live over the coming weeks:

• Reservely: An automated text to voice (speech) restaurant reservation system
• MoodFood: A restaurant discovery app based on users' moods of the moment
• Rendezview: A social meet up and recommendation app which suggests convenient meeting locations for friends
• FinishMyBasement: A home improvement tool guiding users through the steps of renovation and provides contractor recommendations
• DealScanr: A shopping app devoted to locating the best deals near a given location

YPG expects to be accepting more developers into the program on a rolling basis over the coming months.

Submissions to the YellowAPI Developer Program are judged by a YPG selection committee based on the following criteria:

• Originality of concept
• Addressing a user need
• Ability to generate local search traffic
• Integration of YellowAPI
• Commercial viability
• Developer commitment to application support for a minimum 12-month period

If your app is successful in driving significant amounts of quality traffic, you can be compensated by YPG.

For more information on YellowAPI.com and the YellowAPI Developer Program, visit www.yellowapi.com/devprogram.