Meetup makes first technology acquisition with Dispatch purchase
Meetup, a New York-based company that helps people form real-world connections through in-person meetings, announced that hit will acquire Dispatch. The latter organization is a small firm that is working to banish the "reply all" button with its group e-mail addresses for projects, according to VentureBeat.
Financial details of the technology acquisition have not yet been released, but the move is expected to help Meetup improve its overall communication capabilities.
Currently, Meetup helps people who have shared interests—such as a love of technology or even mobile app development—find one another. Individuals "meet up" in a group and can then discuss whatever they like. According to VentureBeat, the co-founders of Dispatch actually met through Meetup.
Jesse Lamb, Nicholas Stamas and Alex Godin will all be joining the Meetup team.
According to Meetup CEO Scott Heiferman, "Dispatch was the perfect match."
The Meetup leader added that he needed something different because his own company is slightly unconventional.
"This is a weird company," he said. "We're using the Internet to get people to meet off the Internet."
Heiferman explained that he got the idea for Meetup after the September 11 attacks on New York City. He said that during the recovery period, he grew closer to his neighbors as he sought comfort from the community. Heiferman believed that a similar mindset could be taken in other aspects of life.
As this situation shows, the size of a company does not necessarily dictate its likelihood of a successful technology merger or acquisition. When two businesses that have complementary goals, ideals and customer base, they are more likely to find common ground. An ideal opportunity will benefit all parties and help their clients continue to benefit from their products or services.