Congrats to Lockhart Steele for getting an infusion of cash ($1.5M to be exact) to expand Curbed to new cities.
In reading the NYT’s coverage, nothing really surprised me much until the last two paragraphs where Brad explains why he is one of the investors:
If the downturn lasts long enough, “everyone suffers,
I called a prospect whose name I purchased from a lead vendor. This is something we do regularly in the mortgage business. Rather than word of mouth, mailing, cold-calling, or some other marketing means, we can purchase the names, phone numbers, and other relevant information from a lead vendor. These leads come in various qualities and prices. You can get thousands of random names and phone numbers for pennies apiece or you can get interested, very specific parameter, live transfer calls directly to your phone for $150 or more each. Of course, there are leads for everywhere in between as well.
One of the most difficult factors in buying leads is the “exclusive