Foodspotting hits 1M downloads, adds new features

Don't read this story if you want to be successful in your new low-carb diet

Technology trends and news by Faith Merino
August 10, 2011 | Comments
Short URL: http://vator.tv/n/1dad

Wow. Foodspotting waited until I made my quarterly resolution to cut down on the carbs to release a new video showing all of their favorite eats from around the world, including a coconut glazed doughnut, doughnut flan, several marvelous ice cream variations, a pie shake, and more. I think my blood glucose level rose from just watching the mash-up.

A year and a half after its launch, the Foodspotting app has hit one million downloads and the startup, which has raised $3.75 million to date, is celebrating with some new features. Users who visit the website have been able to follow people, dishes, and places, and now Foodspotting is taking those following features to the iPhone and Android.

Now mobile users can see if their friends are on Foodspotting, follow their friends’ recommendations, follow their favorite restaurants and dishes, and follow experts. A number of prominent chefs and food experts have specialized pages on Foodspotting that users can now follow on their mobile devices, including renowned chef Wolfgang Puck, chef and cookbook author Marcus Samuelsson, and chef and restauranteur Mario Batali. Users can also follow the Travel Channel and get Foodspotting recommendations from Man Vs. Food (ugh…) and Bizarre Foods. And, of course, users can follow the Foodspotting team and its mascot, Spot, to get more food recommendations.

The company is also beta testing apps for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile as well. Foodspotting launched its Android app last December.

And the site’s traffic is booming—if the number of food pics uploaded to the platform is any indication. In January, the site featured over 275,000 dish recommendations. Seven months later, the site now has 720,000 recommendations.

Foodspotting has raised funds from BlueRun Ventures, Felicis Ventures, Dave McClure’s 500 Startups, Shana Fisher’s High Line Venture Partners, Zelkova Ventures, and 2020 Ventures, along with several angels, including Dave Morin.

So now I’m going to sabotage your efforts to lose weight and live a healthier life by forcing you to watch the following video.