In an effort to scale faster to compete with larger social networks like Facebook and MySpace, mobile social networks Limbo and Brightkite are merging. According to a Brightkite company blog posting, the move not only combines users but enhances the engineering staff and technology behind the services, as well as giving Brightkite access to previously unformed distribution partners like BlackBerry, WinMo, and other mobile carriers.
TechCrunch says Limbo CEO Jonathon Linner will remain as CEO of the combined entity, which will be called Brightkite, while Brightkite founders Martin May and Brady Becker will oversee product management and design.
Limbo and Brightkite both compete in the small, but growing mobile social-network space. Those social networks are tailored to location-specific features unique to mobile phones, like the ability to find network members near you while “on the go” or to find businesses near you according to your profile interests. Brightkite was founded in 2007 and received $1 million of angel funding after winning a Techstars start-up compeition. The company may have had a hard time raising additional VC capital in this difficult market, and that may have driven the merger with the better-funded Limbo. To date, Limbo has raised $24 million, including a $9 million round in January.
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