Qype.com - Find the Best Locales in W. Europe

Qype enables anyone to search for & review service providers, businesses and public spaces. The reviewers are local, and the site makes the profile of the reviewers public. They figure that if you read a person"s profile and find a lot of similarities in tastes and/or interests, you would trust their recommendations (a great idea since many times after I read a movie review I wonder about the age and personality of the reviewer!). The site is available for anywhere in Western Europe, and currently available in English or German. They hope to expand the scope of their coverage and languages soon. So, if you find yourself in Western Europe and you want to know the hippest designer boutique or the best local pizza eatery, Qype is the place to go.

Qype was founded in 2006 in Germany (yes, they do brilliant things beyond fast cars). Our founder, Stephan Urhenbacher, is an entrepreneur at heart and a pretty cool online gury. Don"t worry, he is not good at everything – his dress sense in particular can be a bit too individual. Anyway, he felt that cities are great places, but sometimes it is difficult to know where to go or who to call if you want to impress your in-laws with a fabulous restaurant or need a plumber that you can trust.. And Qype was created to do just that, allow you to search for and review places and services around you.

This site already receives heavy traffic and is obviously a trusted source for recommendations for services and businesses in Western Europe.

When do they plan to expand the site to other parts of Europe? And the states? How do they make a profit (do they ever make money from the establishments they review)?