Groupon has bought Hyperpublic, a small company that develops location-based technology that can be integrated into other applications.
The deal could see Hyperpublic‘s tools, such as its “Geo Deals & Events” API integrated into Grpoupon’s offering.
The API shows local deals and events depending on where a person is located, such as concerts.
For partners using the API, Hyperpublic will pay a fee for each click-through to an offer. In a blog post from last September, Hyperpublic wrote that performance-based rates would be forthcoming.
Another one of its products, called Places+, allows users to search for local businesses, restaurants and points of interest from within an application using the API.
In light of the acquisition, Hyperpublic said it will shut down Places+ and Geo Deals & Events on March 2.
At that time, all user data will be deleted, the company said in a question-and-answer document on its website.
Hyperpublic suggested that developers look to other location services, such as CityGrid, Facebook’s Graph and Fourquare’s Venue Database, among others.
Hyperpublic said on its website that Groupon’s acquisition represented “a huge win for our team, our investors and everyone who contributed to our company over the past two years.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
