Coremetrics founder Brett Hurt has launched startup Bazaarvoice, which seeks to "harness the power of word of mouth advertising for online marketers," writes InternetRetailer. Sam Decker, former Dell.com head, is vice-president of marketing and products. The company secured nearly $4 million in funding from Austin Ventures. President and CEO Hurt said the company was formed to take advantage of a "tectonic shift in power from marketing executives to consumers. Word of mouth, which drove product decisions in the original bazaars, has a profound impact on business success in the open online market."

"Bazaarvoice was founded to give online brand marketers the technology, team and processes they need to help customers build their business for them."