Sense Networks

Sense Networks is a New York City–based technology company that built location‑analytics products and services using machine learning to analyze large-scale mobile and vehicle location data, and was acquired by a Yellow Pages/AT&T-related buyer in 2014.[1][1]

High-Level Overview

• Sense Networks built the MacroSense platform and consumer apps (Citysense, Cabsense) that analyzed billions of location points to surface real‑time human activity hotspots and predictive insights for advertising and churn management for carriers and app providers.[1][3]
  - The company’s product set served mobile carriers, application providers, advertisers and consumers seeking better location intelligence and taxi‑finding tools; its work targeted problems in making sense of noisy spatio‑temporal sensor data to enable targeted ads, venue analytics and real‑time crowd/traffic signals.[1][1]
  - Growth momentum included press recognition (named among Bloomberg Businessweek’s “25 Most Intriguing Startups” and featured by Newsweek) and product launches between 2009–2010 before its 2014 acquisition by a Yellow Pages entity tied to AT&T and Cerberus Capital Management.[1][1]

Origin Story

• Sense Networks was founded by Greg Skibiski in 2006 (sources report 2006 with some earlier date ambiguity) and established offices in New York City after initial work near Northampton, Massachusetts.[1][1]
  - Skibiski recruited academic collaborators including MIT’s Alex Pentland and Columbia’s Tony Jebara as early co‑founders/advisors, bringing machine‑learning and human‑dynamics expertise to the team that would shape its analytics approach.[1]
  - Early traction included the launch of Citysense (real‑time human activity hotspots) and Cabsense (NYC taxi pickup predictions) and publication of patent applications for location analytics and anomaly detection, which together signaled product validation and IP development prior to acquisition.[1][1]

Core Differentiators

• Product differentiators: Focused on large‑scale spatio‑temporal pattern detection and predictive models built specifically for mobile and vehicle GPS streams (MacroSense platform).[1]
  - Academic and technical pedigree: Close collaboration with respected researchers (e.g., Alex Pentland, Tony Jebara) gave the company advanced machine‑learning credibility in human dynamics and sensor analytics.[1]
  - IP and patents: The company filed patents for location analytics, spatial‑temporal trail comparison, and anomaly detection in sensor analytics, strengthening its technical moat.[1]
  - Consumer + B2B mix: Combined consumer‑facing apps (Citysense, Cabsense) that demonstrated use cases with a backend analytics product sold to carriers and app providers.[1]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

• Trend alignment: Sense Networks rode the early wave of mobile‑location big data and the emergence of contextual, location‑based advertising and analytics as smartphones and GPS/mobility data proliferated.[1]
  - Timing: Launches in 2009–2010 coincided with rapidly increasing smartphone adoption and interest in real‑time location services, which made large‑scale location analytics commercially relevant.[1]
  - Market forces: Demand from carriers, advertisers, and cities for predictive and real‑time insights (for targeting, churn reduction, operations) favored vendors able to process spatio‑temporal data at scale.[1]
  - Influence: By demonstrating consumer use cases and packaging analytics for enterprise buyers, Sense Networks helped validate location analytics as a commercial category and influenced later entrants in mobility intelligence and urban analytics.[1]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

• What came next: Sense Networks was acquired in 2014 by a Yellow Pages/AT&T/Cerberus‑related entity, marking a common exit path for data/analytics startups via strategic acquisitions by incumbents seeking location and advertising capabilities.[1]
  - Shaping trends: The company’s focus on machine learning for human dynamics presaged later growth in mobility analytics, real‑time urban intelligence, and location‑based marketing—areas that continue to expand with richer sensor fusion and privacy regulations shaping data use.[1]
  - How influence might evolve: The core ideas Sense Networks commercialized—scalable spatio‑temporal modeling, consumer‑facing validation of analytics, and IP around sensor anomaly detection—remain central to modern mobility and smart‑city solutions and continue to inform startups and vendors in that space.[1]

If you’d like, I can: (a) summarize Sense Networks’ patents and what they cover, (b) map key competitors and successors in location analytics, or (c) extract press coverage and timelines of product launches for a slide‑ready brief.