imported>JJMC89 bot III: Removing :Category:Webby Award winners per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2025 November 1#Category:Webby Award winners

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Removing Category:Webby Award winners per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2025 November 1#Category:Webby Award winners

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{{short description|Social media platform}}
{{for multi|a social gathering|Meeting|Wikipedia meetups|Wikipedia:Meetup}}
{{Infobox website
| name = MeetUp, Inc.
| logo = Meetup Logo.png
| logo_size = 150px
| collapsible = yes
| collapsetext = Screenshot
| screenshot = Meetup website screenshot.png
| url = {{URL|https://www.meetup.com/}}
| commercial = Yes
| type = [[Social media]], membership software
| language = [[English language|English-default]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Korean language|Korean]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[Thai language|Thai]], [[Russian language|Russian]] and [[Turkish language|Turkish]]
| founded = {{Start date and age|2002|06}}
| registration = Required to join a group
| users = 60 million+<ref name=friendships>{{cite web |url=https://www.meetup.com/marketing-assets/PDF/Meetup+Trend+Report+v13.pdf |title=State of Friendships: The 2023 Meetup Measurement Report | publisher=Meetup.com}}</ref>
| owner = [[Bending Spoons]]
| industry = [[Social media]]
| launch_date = {{start date and age|2002|6|12}}<ref name=curious>{{cite news | title=The Long and Curious History of Meetup.com | last=Jeffries | first=Adrianne | periodical=[[The New York Observer]] | date=January 21, 2011 | url=http://observer.com/2011/01/the-long-and-curious-history-of-meetupcom/ | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012051759/http://observer.com/2011/01/the-long-and-curious-history-of-meetupcom/ | archive-date=October 12, 2013 }}</ref>
}}
'''Meetup''' is an American [[social media platform]] and [[social networking service]] for hosting and organizing in-person and virtual activities, gatherings, and events for people and communities of similar interests, hobbies, and professions. The service has 60 million users.<ref name=friendships/> The company has both free tiers and paid tiers.

Headquartered in New York City, the company was founded in 2002 by [[Scott Heiferman]] and four others. It was acquired by [[WeWork]] in November 2017, AlleyCorp in March 2020, and [[Bending Spoons]] in January 2024.

==History==
Meetup was founded in June 2002<ref name=power>{{cite news | url=https://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/tech/web/meetup-2012-campaign-sifry/index.html | last1=Sifry | first1=Micah | title=From Howard Dean to the tea party: The power of Meetup.com | work=[[CNN]] | date=November 7, 2011}}</ref> by Scott Heiferman and four co-founders.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/jobs/06boss.html | title=The Pursuit of Community | first=Scott | last=Heiferman | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=September 6, 2009 | url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/meetups-scott-heiferman-on-connecting-communities/219753 | last=Evans | first=Teri | title=Meetup's Scott Heiferman on Connecting Communities | work=[[Entrepreneur (magazine)|Entrepreneur]] | date=June 7, 2011 | url-access=limited}}</ref> The idea for Meetup came from Heiferman meeting his neighbors in New York City for the first time after the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://archive.triblive.com/lifestyles/more-lifestyles/pittsburgh-meetup-members-use-the-internet-to-get-off-the-internet/ | last=Benz | first=Kate | title=Pittsburgh Meetup members use the Internet to get off the Internet | work=[[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]] | date=January 23, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/one-week-of-meetups/2011/09/27/gIQAFUUNhL_story.html | first=Lavanya |last=Ramanathan |title=One week of Meetups | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=October 13, 2011 | url-access=subscription}}</ref> Heiferman was also influenced by the book [[Bowling Alone]],<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://observer.com/2012/02/interview-with-scott-heiferman-ceo-of-meetup-full-transcript/ | title=Interview With Scott Heiferman, CEO of Meetup [FULL TRANSCRIPT] | last=Jeffries | first=Adrianne | work=[[Observer Media]] | date=February 6, 2012}}</ref> which is about the deterioration of community in American culture.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/xsavesworldhowg00gord | last=Gordinier | first=J. | title=X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft But Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking | publisher=Viking | isbn=978-0-670-01858-1 | url-access=registration | year=2008 | page=[https://archive.org/details/xsavesworldhowg00gord/page/161 161]}}</ref> Some initial funding for the venture was raised from friends and family, which was followed by a funding round with angel investors.<ref name=curious/>

The early version of Meetup generated revenues by charging a fee to venues in exchange for bringing Meetup users to their business. Once enough users added themselves to a group, Meetup sent the group members an email, asking them to vote on one of three sponsoring venues for the group to meet.<ref>{{cite news |title=I'm on the List: Virtual Communities: Not Just for Loners Anymore |url=https://nypost.com/2002/12/08/im-on-the-list-virtual-communities-not-just-for-loners-anymore/ |newspaper=[[New York Post]] |first=Sarah |last=Gilbert | date=December 8, 2002}}</ref>

In 2003, Meetup won the "Community Websites and Mobile Site" [[Webby Award]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://winners.webbyawards.com/2003/websites-and-mobile-sites/general-websites-and-mobile-sites/community/157390/meetup | website=[[Webby Awards]] |title=Meetup | year=2003}}</ref>

Meetup was originally intended to focus on hobbies and interests,<ref name=power/> but it was popularized by Presidential hopeful [[Howard Dean]] in 2004.<ref name=power/> Meetup developed paid services to help the Dean campaign to meet with Meetup users. Dean also publicized Meetup groups of supporters in his speeches and on his website; at the peak of Dean's campaign, 143,000 users had joined Meetup groups for Dean supporters.<ref name=power/>

In early 2005, Meetup began to charge a fee for group organizers.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.inc.com/associated-press/meetup-starts-charging-fee-to-keep-users-involved.html | last=Troise | first=Damian J. | title=Meetup Starts Charging Fee in Effort to Keep Users Involved | work=[[Inc. (magazine)|Inc.com]] | date=February 6, 2015}}</ref> Initially, changes to the website had to be approved by two committees.<ref name=anarchy/>

In 2008, [[Union Square Ventures]] invested in the company.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://venturebeat.com/business/meetupcom-raises-undisclosed-sum-from-union-square-ventures/ | title=Meetup.com raises undisclosed sum from Union Square Ventures | first=Dan | last=Kaplan | work=[[VentureBeat]] | date=July 24, 2008}}</ref>

In 2009, Meetup started running [[hackathon]]s, where employees came up with new features that would be implemented if their coworkers supported it.<ref name=anarchy>{{cite news | last=Taylor | first=Chris | title=Meetup: An office where group anarchy works | work=[[CNN]] | url=https://money.cnn.com/2009/05/06/smallbusiness/democracy_at_meetup.fsb/ | date=May 6, 2009}}</ref> In July 2009, the company was profitable and had $9 million in annualized revenues.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://techcrunch.com/2009/09/15/leaked-shareholder-docs-meetup-hits-profitability-and-9-million-in-revenues/ | title=Leaked Shareholder Docs: Meetup Hits Profitability And $9 Million In Revenues | work=[[TechCrunch]] | date=September 15, 2009}}</ref>

Meetup had 8 million users in 2010.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/12/13/meetupcom-helps-connect-like-minded-people |first=Angela | last=Haupt|title=Meetup.com Helps Connect Like-minded People | work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] | date=December 13, 2010}}</ref>

The website was redesigned in September 2013.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/09/12/meetup-simplifies-its-homepage-to-reflect-its-mobile-only-strategy/ | title=Meetup Simplifies Its Member Homepage As It Pursues A Unified Design | first=Josh |last=Ong | work=[[The Next Web]] | date=September 12, 2013}}</ref> Meetup had 25.5 million users by 2013.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Lai | first1=Chih-Hui | last2=Katz | first2=James E. | title=Volunteer associations in the Internet age: Ecological approach to understanding collective action | journal=The Information Society | volume=32 | issue=4 | date=May 31, 2016 | issn=0197-2243 | doi=10.1080/01972243.2016.1177761 | pages=241–255| s2cid=45348475 | hdl=10356/104397 | hdl-access=free}}</ref>

In October 2013, Meetup acquired Dispatch, a struggling email collaboration company.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/10/09/how-meta-meetup-just-acquired-dispatch-which-got-its-start-at-a-meetup/ | last=Farr | first=Christina | title=How meta! Meetup just acquired Dispatch, which got its start at a meetup | work=[[VentureBeat]] | date=October 9, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/10/09/meetup-com-makes-its-first-acquisition-with-dispatch-will-roll-out-improved-messaging-communications-in-early-2014/ | title=Meetup Makes Its First Acquisition With Dispatch, Will Roll Out Improved Messaging & Communications In Early 2014 | work=[[TechCrunch]] | first=Sarah | last=Perez | date=October 9, 2013}}</ref>

In March 2014, a hacker shut down Meetup with a [[DDoS]] attack, the hacker claimed to be funded by a competitor.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://calgaryherald.com/technology/meetup-recovers-from-hacker-attack | title=Meetup recovers from hacker attack | work=[[Calgary Herald]] | date=March 6, 2014}}</ref> The hackers asked for a ransom of $300.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/digi-ransoms-meetup-com-latest-long-history-cyber-hostages-n44151 | title=Digi-Ransoms: Meetup.com Latest in Long History of Cyber Hostages | work=[[NBC News]] | date=March 4, 2014}}</ref>

In February 2017, Meetup created 1,000 #resist Meetup groups with the intention of coordinating protests in response to the [[Trump travel ban]].<ref name=leap/> This caused some supporters of [[Donald Trump]] to leave the site<ref name=leap/> or call for a boycott.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/16/trump-supporters-boycott-meetup-after-company-creates-resist-groups-makes-its-politics-known/ | title=Trump supporters boycott Meetup after company creates #Resist groups, makes its politics known | first=Sarah | last=Perez | work=[[TechCrunch]] | date=February 16, 2017}}</ref> Meetup also partnered with a labor group to organize anti-Trump protests.<ref name=leap>{{cite news | url=http://www.toledoblade.com/business/2017/03/19/Meetup-com-takes-risky-leap-into-the-Trump-resistance.html| title=Meetup.com takes risky leap into the Trump resistance | work=[[Associated Press]] | date=March 19, 2017}}</ref>

Meetup was acquired by [[WeWork]] in November 2017 for about $156 million.<ref>{{Cite press release | url=https://www.wework.com/newsroom/wework-x-meetup | title=WeWork acquires Meetup | first=Adam | last=Neumann | authorlink=Adam Neumann | publisher=[[WeWork]] | date=November 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/wework-acquires-meetup/ | title=WeWork acquires Meetup to host more face-to-face gatherings | first=Paul | last=Sawers | work=[[VentureBeat]] | date=November 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wired.com/story/why-wework-is-buying-meetup/ |title=WeWork is Buying Meetup Amid an Increasingly Disconnected World |first=Jessi |last=Hempel | work=[[Wired (magazine)|WIRED]] |date=November 28, 2017 | url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-28/wework-to-buy-meetup-a-social-network-to-connect-hobbyists | last=Vynck | first=Gerrit De | title=WeWork Buys Meetup to Bring People Together Outside of Work | work=[[Bloomberg News]] | date=November 28, 2017 | url-access=subscription}}</ref> By that time, Meetup had raised $18.3 million over 11 years.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/meetup-was-darling-tech-industry-can-it-survive-wework-n1106676 | title=Meetup was a darling of the tech industry. But can it survive WeWork? | first=Alyssa | last=Newcomb | work=[[NBC News]] | date=December 26, 2019}}</ref> Some former employees said there was a 10% layoff after the acquisition.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://gizmodo.com/the-mess-at-meetup-1822243738 | last=Conger | first=Kate | title=The Mess at Meetup | work=[[Gizmodo]] | date=February 16, 2018}}</ref>

In 2018, Scott Heiferman resigned as CEO and former [[Investopedia]] CEO [[David Siegel (executive)|David Siegel]] took his place after a convincing interview with WeWork CEO [[Adam Neumann]].<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.businessinsider.com/david-siegel-how-i-won-over-adam-neumann-meetup-ceo-2022-6 | title=I was overly aggressive when I interviewed with WeWork's Adam Neumann for the Meetup CEO role — and it paid off. Here's why I recommend all leaders negotiate every detail. | first=David | last=Siegel | authorlink=David Siegel (executive) | work=[[Business Insider]] | date=June 28, 2022}}</ref> Heiferman became Chairman of the company.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/17/meetup-ceo-scott-heiferman-moves-into-chairman-role/ | title=Meetup CEO Scott Heiferman moves into chairman role | work=[[TechCrunch]] | date=July 17, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/30/wework-owned-meetup-brings-on-david-siegel-as-ceo/ | title=WeWork-owned Meetup brings on David Siegel as CEO | first=Jordan | last=Crook | work=[[TechCrunch]] | date=October 30, 2018}}</ref>

In October 2019, Meetup began to test a different pricing model in two US states, reducing the costs that must be paid by organizers of $23.99/month or $98.94/six months, but requiring users to pay a $2 fee in order to RSVP for events, leaving several users angry.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/15/20893343/meetup-users-furious-new-rsvp-payment-test |title=Meetup wants to charge users $2 just to RSVP for events – and some are furious |last=Deahl |first=Dani | work=[[The Verge]] |date=October 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2019/10/15/meetup-users-revolt-against-2-event-feeand-blame-wework/ | title=Meetup Users Revolt Against $2 Event Fee—And Blame WeWork | first=Rachel | last=Sandler | work=[[Forbes]] | date=October 15, 2019 | url-access=limited}}</ref>

In March 2020, WeWork sold Meetup to AlleyCorp and other investors, reportedly at a substantial loss, and [[Kevin P. Ryan]] of AlleyCorp was added to the [[board of directors]] of Meetup.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/30/wework-sells-off-social-network-meetup-to-alleycorp-and-other-investors/ | title=WeWork sells off social network Meetup to AlleyCorp and other investors |last=Perez |first=Sarah | work=[[TechCrunch]] |date=March 30, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/business/wework-sells-social-network-meetup-to-alleycorp-private-investors-idUSKBN21H2K5/ | title=WeWork sells social network Meetup to AlleyCorp, private investors | first=Noor Zainab | last=Hussain | editor-first=Anil | editor-last=D'Silva | work=[[Reuters]] | date=March 30, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://fortune.com/2020/03/30/softbank-wework-meetup-alleycorp-acquisition/ | title=Exclusive: WeWork is selling Meetup to AlleyCorp for a fraction of its 2017 price | first=Alyssa | last=Newcomb | work=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] | date=March 30, 2020}}</ref>

In January 2024, [[Bending Spoons]] acquired Meetup.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/11/24034564/meetup-got-acquired-by-bending-spoons |last=Roth |first=Emma | title=Meetup got acquired by Bending Spoons. | work=[[The Verge]] |date=January 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release | url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240124551711/en/Bending-Spoons-finalizes-acquisition-of-U.S.-based-community-building-platform-Meetup-and-announces-%2450000-Community-Fund | title=Bending Spoons finalizes acquisition of U.S.-based community-building platform, Meetup, and announces $50,000 Community Fund | publisher=[[Business Wire]] | date=January 24, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/articles/2024/1/deal-wrap-alleycorp-sells-meetup-capitalspring-invests-in-primetime-fitness-80036518 | title=Deal Wrap: AlleyCorp. sells Meetup; CapitalSpring invests in Primetime Fitness | work=[[S&P Global]] | date=January 12, 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
* {{Annotated link|Mobilizon}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.meetup.com/}}

{{Online social networking}}

[[Category:2006 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:2017 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:2020 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:2024 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:Companies based in New York City]]
[[Category:Event management companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2002]]
[[Category:Internet-based activism]]
[[Category:Social planning websites]]
[[Category:WeWork]]

Meetup - Revision history

imported>JJMC89 bot III: Removing :Category:Webby Award winners per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2025 November 1#Category:Webby Award winners