Untappd purchased by Next Glass


If you follow me for any period of time (or any of our writers that is) you'll soon find out that we like our beer [just watch any of our hangout shows and watch when we take a drink].

For me, I love whenever I can 'app' something, and why not?  I've covered Untappd before in our ol' AppColiseums.  I love getting my badges and seeing what it recommends for my next drink.

Well, I just got this email the other day - and it looks like Untappd is being bought.

I had no idea that it was an app developed in their spare time (well done folks!) and their purchase by Next Glass means they will still get to be Untappd... no 'merger' or dissolution of a brand or anything...

Way to go +Untappd; looking forward to the next round of improvements!  Cheers!

Hello,
Since we first released Untappd, over five years ago, it’s been a project of passion and it’s been our desire to bring our users the best possible beer based social platform available. From private beta to nearly 3,000,000 users worldwide, watching Untappd grow has been an amazing rollercoaster of ups, downs, late nights, and of course great beers.
We strive to build the best features with a great focus on our community and their desires. This has become increasingly difficult to accomplish due to time constraints. As you may not know, for the last five years we have been building Untappd on a part time basis, maintaining full time jobs outside of Untappd to support ourselves and our families. This has lead to slower than desired feature releases and as Untappd continues to grow in popularity, the variety of hats our two man team has to wear has become more difficult.
Over the years, we have explored a variety of options to allow us to transition to full time on Untappd, but there was never a viable solution. After many discussions and exploring many different directions, we are excited to announce a strategic merger between Untappd and Next Glass, a fellow alcohol based start up. It was evident very early on in our discussions that we shared similar goals and ideals for our respective apps and together we could achieve great things. Unlike other mergers happening in the beer world recently, this merger brings together two like-minded start ups set on disrupting the beer industry for the better.
So, the big question is, what does this mean for Untappd? It’s simple - nothing but good things. Untappd will remain an independent entity (albeit a subsidiary of Next Glass), with Tim Mather (CEO) and Greg Avola (CTO) continuing to steer the vision of the product. With the resources provided by Next Glass, we will be able to transition into full time roles within Untappd as well as hire on more staff to speed up our feature development and make the platform even better for the community. This means you will get new updates, cool features, and even more badges, faster. There will be no rebranding, name changing, or abrupt pivots. We will continue just as we have, building a world class social community for beer drinkers - only at a much quicker pace.
Being a community driven platform that has relied heavily on word of mouth to grow, we owe everything to you. Without the dedication of beer lovers around the world checking in as they enjoy a brew, we wouldn’t be where we are today. That said, it is our goal to continue to build the best possible products for you. Thank you for your support over the years and for your continued support as we take the next, exciting step into the future of Untappd.
Cheers,
Tim & Greg
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Here are some potential answers to some questions you may have. If you have quesions not listed below, please feel free to reach out to us on Twitter or Facebook.
Will Untappd be rebranded under Next Glass?
No, Untappd will remain it’s own company with the brand you’ve come to know and love.
Who will be in charge of Untappd?
The original founders, Tim & Greg, will continue to lead the vision of Untappd, as well as continue to directly design and develop it.
Can I work for Untappd?
We will be hiring a couple new team members in the near future, but have no determined exactly what we will be hiring for. Once we do, we will be sure to let everyone know.
What happens to supporter accounts?
Untappd Supporter accounts will remain and function just as they have, but now that our team will be working full time on the product, we will be able to add even better features and benefits to the supporter accounts.
Will this affect 3rd party developers using the Untappd API?
There are currently no plans to changes, limit, or restrict access to the Untappd API.

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