Fondu

Fondu, founded in 2010 by Gauri Manglik, Mike Lewis, and Orion Burt, operated as a social network centered on concise food and drink reviews. The New York City-based company was initially launched under the name SpotOn in May 2011 at Tech Crunch Disrupt, with a focus on a restaurant recommendation engine using Foursquare check-in data. The founders observed that users were more engaged with rating places and sharing these with friends rather than the recommendation feature itself. This insight led to a pivot, and the company rebranded as Fondu, launching its iOS app in November 2011.

The Fondu app provided a platform for users to post "bite-sized" reviews of up to 175 characters. This model aimed to lower the barrier to entry compared to more comprehensive review sites like Yelp, fostering a community where users followed friends and trusted food bloggers for recommendations. By focusing on a user's social circle, the platform intended to deliver more relevant and positive reviews. The app utilized Foursquare's database, allowing for reviews of places worldwide. Following its launch, Fondu secured a seed round of $575,000 on November 22, 2011, with Eniac Ventures as the lead investor, joined by the NYU Innovation Fund, Harbor Road Ventures, Blazer Ventures, and several angel investors.

The company's trajectory culminated in an "acqhire" by Airbnb on October 3, 2012. As part of the acquisition, the Fondu team joined Airbnb's product group in San Francisco, and the Fondu service was shut down on November 1, 2012. The deal was a strategic move by Airbnb to integrate the team's expertise in social discovery and recommendations to enhance the experience for its own growing community of hosts and guests. While the financial terms were not disclosed, Fondu's investors supported the acquisition, viewing Airbnb's culture and vision as a strong fit.

Keywords: Fondu, social review network, bite-sized reviews, food recommendations, restaurant reviews, Gauri Manglik, SpotOn app, Airbnb acquisition, Eniac Ventures, mobile reviews, iOS app, Foursquare API, local discovery, social dining, user-generated reviews, NYC startup, Tech Crunch Disrupt, Fondu app, food tech, community reviews, Mike Lewis, Orion Burt