Don't Forget to Pass the Axe as Hype Continues to Grow for the Stanford/Berkeley Big Game

Throng Mobile Application Gets Students and Alumni involved in Big Game Competition

STANFORD - Oct. 3, 2012 - Throng, a leader in connecting people and businesses around the world, announced today that it will sponsor the "I Want the Axe" game, highlighting the legendary rivalry between the Stanford and Berkeley football teams. Students and alumni will participate in the challenge and run up up their school's score by exchanging a miniature jewelry axe as many times as possible during the week of the Big Game, October 15-19.

In true treasure hunt style, downloading the Throng application will grant students access to other alumni and students who are participating in the challenge. Players must find the person who has the axe and arrange the exchange through Throng, utilizing the location-based feature of iPhone and Android smartphones (http://thronginc.com/axe). The contest will be played on the Stanford and Berkeley campuses from 12:00PM PST on Monday, October 15 until 12:00PM PST on Friday October 19.

The Big Game rivalry has always been played out between the football teams and the Axe and Rally committees at both schools. Students can watch the Bearial at Stanford or the Laugh your Axe Off show at Berkeley, but spectating has been the only option for most students and alumni. With the Throng mobile app and miniature jewelry axes hand crafted by David Seaver, a local craftsman, in each school's colors, they can really "get in the game."

"This is an exciting way for students and alumni to participate in the Big Game competition and build more school pride through winning the mobile game," said Kyle Hoffer, chair of the Axe Committee at Stanford. "Big Game Week is very competitive between the two campuses and this really gives each school a way to extend the challenge beyond the actual football game in a positive and school spirited fashion."

"Berkeley students have to be careful about who we hand the Berkeley axe to," said Rachel Walters, a student at Berkeley. "There's nothing stopping a Stanford student from coming across the Bay and masquerading as one of us."

About Throng

Throng is a leader in semantic matching. The company was founded in late 2009 by a team of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. For more information, visit thronginc.com.