Facebook acquires Threadsy start-up behind Swaylo influence-ranking and marketing tool

Facebook has acquired San Francisco-based Threadsy, which offers Klout-like service called Swaylo to connect brands and influencers. Some of that product will be taken down after the deal closes, but SwayloPro will continue to operate as an independent company owned by its current investors, according to an announcement on Swaylo's blog. Facebook confirmed the acquisition, but did not offer further details or comment. With Swaylo, users can see their level of influence within their social network on a scale of 0 to 10. Rather than pulling in information from several services, it focuses on influence with Facebook where people tend to connect with people they know in person. Swaylo then helps brands discover the people whose influence matters most for their business and get them to work together. The company plans to remove the option for users to be able to access their Sway scores but SwayloPro will live on to help marketers gain insights about their customers. TechCrunch notes that this isn't the first time Facebook has taken only part of a company it acquired. In 2010, it took three employees from Zenbe to work on its unified messaging system. Threadsy CEO and founder Rob Goldman did not say what his team would be working on at Facebook, but he shared the following sentiment in a blog post announcing the acquisition, "This is incredibly exciting for us! We built Swaylo because we believe Facebook and other social media services are the digital representation of our lives. There is no better opportunity to take Swaylo’s vision to the next level than at Facebook." Threadsy began as a product to combine email, Facebook, Twitter, instant messaging and other services into one platform. It didn't quite take off, but after the Swaylo side project gained million users in its first 10 days, it decided to shift its focus. The company has raised $6.3 million since being founded in 2008.

Social Pro Daily

Facebook acquires Threadsy start-up behind Swaylo influence-ranking and marketing tool

Brittany Darwell

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Brittany Darwell