Boston based social beer mobile app RedPint has been acquired by LA and NYC based Untappd in a pure equity based deal. Untappd just passed the 1 million beer check-ins mark, and the two will join forces to capture the beer checkin space and market share, now with home bases in three cities.
We originally interviewed and profiled RedPint and its founders John Vajda and Alicia Benjamin back in October 2010 when the service launched. The app allows you to share what you’re drinking along with where you’re drinking it, who you’re drinking it with, your review and rating, and a photo. As an additional engagement layer, RedPint offers medals earned for drinking specific craft beers, going to craft beer tasting events, and – of course – drinking craft brews frequently.
Vajda recently contributed a guest article on BostInnovation outlining the significance of the beer check-in space in disrupting in the $7 billion craft beer industry. Since many craft breweries run at full production capacity, real-time location-based data can help them make better decisions about where to place their resources – aside from, of course, all the opportunities for branding and community building. Vajda will join Untappd in a Product Manager role.
“I am very excited to join the Untappd team,” Vajda shared. “Tim Mather, CEO, and Greg Avola, CTO, are dedicated entrepreneurs and brilliant developers who just happen to love beer. They’ve built an amazing platform and a large passionate community of beer fans who love to share what and where they are drinking with friends. Together we hope to continue to bring cool new features to our user community and find new and excited ways to help brewers connect with their fans.”
Since RedPint’s launch we have enjoyed watching them grow to forge partnerships with well-known breweries like Allagash and Dogfish Head and be promoted in conjunction with big events like Cambridge Brewing Company’s Halloween bash.
Benjamin will move on from RedPint to pursue other opportunities, and shared, “From the first day we decided to create RedPint, it has been an amazing learning experience — unlike any other — and I am really excited to see what lies ahead for Untappd, as well as craft breweries, locations serving craft beer, and, of course, the fans like me who love to drink, talk about, and further explore this wonderful and ever-changing world of craft beer.”
Current RedPint user? Just know the service will be temporarily down on Wednesday, June 8th as the integration between the two happens. You can learn more about the acquisition on the Untappd blog.
Congrats to RedPint; we look forward to following you under the Untappd brand moving forward!
