Kanoodle takes a page from rival Google

Commercial search company Kanoodle plans to build a paid-listings business to rival Google's, having hired three former executives from the company's newly acquired Sprinks. On Wednesday, Kanoodle said it opened a New York office and formed a content advertising unit, which will be headed by Lance Podell, Doug Perlson and Mark Josephson, all executives formerly with Sprinks. Google bought the technology assets of Sprinks, a division of Primedia-owned About, earlier this year, and hired several of its employees after closing down the service.

Members of Sprinks' executive team will migrate to Amherst, N.Y.-based Kanoodle to resurrect a Sprinks-like service, which will allow advertisers to buy text-based ads to appear on Web pages based on content categories. Google offers a similar service, but it uses technology to match publishers' Web pages with advertisements. Kanoodle also said it raised funding, of an unspecified amount, from Insight Venture Partners.