Ancestry.com buys photo scanner 1000memories
NEW YORK (AP) — Ancestry.com has bought San Francisco startup 1000memories to help members add photos to their family trees.
The acquisition gives the genealogy website access to 1000memories' ShoeBox mobile app, which scans photos so they can be shared online. The company didn't say how much it paid.
Founded in 2010, 1000memories launched its mobile app last year to let users scan paper photos into the digital age by scanning then in using smartphones.
Ancestry.com said Wednesday that the app has been downloaded more than 500,000 times, though it did not say how many monthly users it has. With the acquisition, Ancestry users will be able to post photos of their ancestors directly on their profiles on the site. Over the coming months, 1000memories will be integrated into Ancestry.com in other ways, too.
When 1000memories first launched, it was created as a place for people to share remembrances and photos of loved ones who died. Founder Rudy Adler had called it a "new way to deal with death in a digital age." It morphed into the photo-scanning and sharing company later.
Ancestry.com Inc., based in Provo, Utah, has more than 2 million paying subscribers. Its stock slipped a penny to $29.68 in midday trading Wednesday. Its shares are down 12 percent from a 52-week high of $33.80 in early August.
