Apr 12, 2011

nSphere snags deals application Peekaboo Mobile Cody Barbierri Tags: applications , hyper-local , Local , local deals , location-based deals , Mobile nSphere , a company that aggregates online content, has bought mobile location-based deals company Peekaboo Mobile , it announced today. The company plans on leveraging Peekaboo Mobile’s application to provide local search information to its users. Peekaboo Mobile, which participated in one of VentureBeat editor-in-chief Matt Marshall’s DEMO challenges just weeks after launching, began as an iPhone application that, when launched, would show users local deals around them. Deals were either entered by the company as it signed up local businesses willing to offer a coupon or by other users who might come across an already established deal. The company claims that it has since generated more than 50 million users across its iPhone and Android apps. One perk from the acquisition is that any local businesses running coupons will now be able to do so for free. All monthly or yearly fees have been waived. Specifics of the acquisition were not disclosed, but several publications noted it was in the seven figures. The Peekaboo Mobile team, including founder’s Michael Fruzzetti and Ben Dolgoff, will be joining nSphere to manage the company’s mobile initiatives, including several commerce apps that plan to launch in the coming months. Though founder Ben Dolgoff wouldn’t provide a ton of information on the coming apps, he did say they would would be completely different from the deal app and will be created for different niche categories that will use nSphere’s massive database of information to help deliver an array of information back to the consumer. Dolgoff also noted the company plans on expanding its mobile team to around 15 people, mostly mobile developers. The Boston-based Peekaboo Mobile, founded in March of 2010, recently secured an angel round of funding for an undisclosed amount from Apricot Capital. Calling all mobile executives: This April 25-26, VentureBeat is hosting its inaugural VentureBeat Mobile Summit , where we’ll debate the five key business and policy challenges facing the mobile industry today. Participants will develop concrete, actionable solutions that will shape the future of the mobile industry. The invitation-only event, located at the scenic and relaxing Cavallo Point Resort in Sausalito, Calif., is limited to 180 mobile executives, investors and policymakers. We’ve pretty much finalized the invite list, but have a few spots left. Request an invitation . Get more stories like this: