San Mateo, Calif. - Wize has announced the beta launch of its new search platform for consumer products. The site asks users to enter the product they are looking for and how they plan to use it, then uses semantic technology to produce a personalized list of the most relevant products. "As consumers, we think in terms of 'I want a new digital camera for my vacation,' but a retail database doesn't think in terms of uses or needs. It only knows how to generate facts like product specs and pricing," said Tom Patterson, the company's president and CEO. The company raised $4 million in January 2007.

San Mateo, Calif. - Wize, a San Mateo, Calif.-based start-up that compiles user-generated and expert product reviews and ranks them using a scoring algorithm, announced on Monday that it has raised $4 million in its first round of venture capital financing, from the Mayfield Fund and Bessemer Venture Partners.