Concert ticketing giant Live Nation has acquired social dating app Meexo.
Meexo was one of the first companies to develop location-based dating apps.
The app launched at TechCrunch’s Disrupt Conference in 2011 and was a SXSW 2011 Accelerator finalist.
The company’s founders, Romain David and Dav Yaginuma, will be joining the Live Nation Labs digital team as part of the deal.
Labs GM Eric Garland said they will “help guide what I can only describe as our “moon mission” in proving technology leadership at Live Nation.”
The company’s mobile mission was confirmed by their Vice President of product, Ethan Kaplan, who told TechCrunch “in the next year I have a big mandate for mobile.”
The ticketing company acquired music discovery app Rexly last year and have another unannounced product coming soon.
And the Fortune 500 company has described Meexo as key to its strategy in digital and mobile.
David will take the role of head of mobile product and Yaginuma will be leading the mobile engineering.
They said in a statement:
“Our team started creating mobile apps when phones had black & white screens. We built location-based services when GPS phones were only available in Japan.
“Today, we are starting to see our early dreams turning into reality. We are developing a two-way relationship with our devices, which is so intimate that technology is becoming invisible and fully integrated into our lives. And this opens the doors to new emerging possibilities and new horizons for entrepreneurs to explore.
“Live Nation Labs is committed to be at the front row of innovation, and we believe that together we will open great new acts.”
The deal was brokered by Exitround, a company that helps startups to find potential acquirers, anonymously.
TechCrunch was told by Exitround co-founder and CEO Jacob Mullins that the company has facilitated other deals, but “this is the first time he’s been given permission to name the buyer and seller.”
Mullins said: “For Exitround, this transaction demonstrates our increasing growth in helping companies outside of Silicon Valley find innovative technology companies to buy.
“While we still work with many of the top Silicon Valley names, more and more large companies that are not traditional technology companies are looking to make technology a core part of their business.”
Click to read statements about the deal from Meexo, Exitround, and Live Nation.