Banjo Brings Calm to Social Networking Chaos

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Banjo, a Palo Alto-based company that empowers social networking users with the ability to find what matters most to them, today launched a new social discovery service. Banjo helps users explore social and local conversations across social networks and zero in on the most relevant updates happening nearby. Best of all, Banjo allows for social exploration no matter where the user is located, regardless of social network and without the need for an update or check-in.

“Banjo is poised to take social discovery well beyond the technology currently available. We are so impressed with Banjo’s innovation and the quality of user-experience, and look forward to supporting their continued growth as they take social exploration to the next level.”

Bringing Calm to Social Network Chaos

With so many social networks to choose from, mobile users are finding it impossible to keep up with the all the opportunities to connect with people. Banjo combines updates across social networks to create a single, integrated service that reveals real-time social connections nearby. Whether it’s finding and connecting with local friends, making new connections with people who have similar interests or prospecting for new business opportunities, Banjo gives users control of the possibilities around them. With Banjo, users can decide if, when and how to connect, or to just browse and explore what’s happening in the world around them.

How Banjo Works

Banjo harnesses publicly-available social and local information and gives users the ability to filter that content based on their interest and location. While the possibilities of engaging with new connections are endless, here are a few ways users can take advantage of the serendipity created with Banjo:

Meet up with Friends and Colleagues: Say you’re at SFO airport and didn’t check in, tweet or make a social post, but your friend tweets about his flight being delayed. With Banjo, you can quickly discover that your friend is only a few gates away. With these real-time updates, Banjo allows you to never miss an opportunity to connect.
Discover Hidden Gems: Perhaps you’re on a summer trip, visiting NYC, and wondering where to eat, but you’re not familiar with the area. A quick check of Banjo reveals someone raving about a hip, new restaurant, and while you’re enjoying lunch there, you also discover a fabulous shoe sale going on just a few blocks away. Thanks to Banjo, you got a great meal and two new pairs of shoes and your NYC experience is a off to a great start. Now you can tap into the collective intelligence and insight of the people around you, making relevant choices for your local expeditions – whatever they may be.
Explore Beyond Your Boundaries: Do you live, work, or travel in a small town without a lot of activity? Even if none of your friends or people nearby are updating their social networks, Banjo still allows for exploration of what’s happening elsewhere. No longer are you limited to the boundaries of your local networks; Banjo is “elastic” and allows you to check out what’s going on three, 30 – or even 3,000 – miles away. Pick your favorite spots and take a peek; because with Banjo, the ripple effect is what you make of it.

Supporting Resources:

Quote from Damien Patton, CEO of Banjo
“Every day, people use mobile phones to access social networks to connect with the world around them. With so much activity, it’s hard to connect the dots between all the information being shared. Banjo was created with this in mind.” said Damien Patton, CEO of Banjo. “Banjo provides a layer of intelligence on top of existing networks so people can easily discover friends and new people or places around them, regardless of what social network they are on.”

Quote from John Malloy, partner at BlueRun Ventures
“Banjo is poised to take social discovery well beyond the technology currently available. We are so impressed with Banjo’s innovation and the quality of user-experience, and look forward to supporting their continued growth as they take social exploration to the next level.”

Video of Banjo in Action: http://vimeo.com/25368271
Screen shots: Available upon request
Availability and Download
Banjo is available today on both the iPhone and the Android devices. You can download the app from the iTunes Store or the Android Marketplace here.

Banjo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/banjo
Banjo on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teambanjo

About Banjo

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., Banjo provides a social discovery service that empowers social networking users with the ability to discover what matters most in the world around them. By streamlining updates and reducing the clutter, Banjo helps users zero in on relevant social and local conversations so they never miss another connection. With Banjo, social exploration can expand with curiosity, allowing users to explore the social universe, regardless of social network affiliation or geographic location. For more information, visit ban.jo.

Banjo has received initial funding investments from BlueRun Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6769830&lang=en