Global search engine for items lost and found, rewards included

Helping consumers around the world locate everything from mislaid car keys to runaway pets, Finnish startup FinderBase is a global social search engine for lost or found belongings, powered by its member community. Built on a Google Maps foundation, Finderbase lets users post a listing for an item they have lost or found and geo-tag it to a specific location. Listings include the date an item was lost or found, a description and a photograph if available. Listings for lost items can also include a reward for the finder. The site uses a credits system to reward object finders and manage payments from object seekers. Finders can post found object listings for free and receive 5 FinderBase credits for every found item. Seekers pay 1 euro (20 credits) to place a lost item listing. Upon registering, all new users are given 20 credits, making their first lost item listing free. Launched into public beta in May, Finderbase has already attracted hundreds of listings worldwide. It’s big challenge, of course, is to become the destination for anyone in search of an object or its owner. (Related: Worldwide bicycle registration scheme — Lost & found in the 21st century.) Spotted by: John Greene