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Plumfare, a mobile discovery app, has been acquired by Groupon.
The San Francisco-based company did not disclose its buyer on the announcement post on its website, which is a bit odd. However, a Groupon spokesperson just confirmed the acquisition to VentureBeat, which has been in the works for several weeks.
Plumfare is the latest in a string of apps helping people discover great restaurants, but it takes a slightly different tack from most. Plumfare prompts people to take pictures of their food and share them with friends. You’re able to gift those items to your network via SMS, email, or Facebook, but you won’t pay unless your friend redeems the item. Plumfare makes its money by taking a cut of the transaction.
Post-acquisition, all outstanding gifts can still be redeemed, according to an FAQ on the website. The company also claims that more gifts will be available, and the team will be working with more “local merchants, everywhere.” Indeed, the startup will benefit from Groupon’s massive sales team, distribution network, and reach.
Groupon, a company that reshuffled its executive team and ousted its CEO, also acquired Glassmap in January to serve more targeted deals to consumers. Similarly to Plumfare, Glassmap is an app to help you find real-time deals.
Acqui-hires like these are bringing in much-needed talent to Groupon’s mobile development team. This strategy has also fueled Yahoo’s growth — Marissa Mayer has made over a dozen acquisitions since she took the reigns in 2012.
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