Teen chat app Kik has acquired Blynk, the Toronto-based startup behind a Tinderesque personal fashion app where users swipe right on outfits they like.
Blynk was founded in 2013 by fashion consultant Jaclyn Ling and developer Shums Kassam. Their app, BlynkStyle, shows the user a variety of looks they can swipe right or left. Based on how someone swipes, the app slowly learns what they like and gets better at making recommendations. It can also be tasked with coming up with an “inspiration album” for a specific style or occasion.
In a blog post, Kik explained the relationship grew out of a chat channel Blynk created for Kik’s mostly 14-17 audience. As one of Kik’s signature chatbots, BlynkStyle responds to users that ask for style tips and new looks. “The BlynkStyle bot brings its swipe-based look selection mechanism into the chat experience and pairs it with options to rate outfits, take quizzes, and buy clothes,” Kik writes.
Kik, based in Waterloo, is one of a handful of ephemeral messaging apps vying for the hearts of North American youth, alongside Snapchat and Viber. The company says it has 240 million registered users globally, over 70% of whom are under 25, and its success landed it a spot on Marketing‘s 2015 Media Player of the Year shortlist.
The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but it was likely financed by a $50 million funding round Kik held in the spring.
