Classmates.com parent company snaps up SchoolFeed

RockYou founder, Lance Tokuda, will join Memory Lane now that his company is part of United Online

It is hard to fathom that in this world of interconnected profiles, some people still have a hard time finding their high school classmates -- but for people that didn't jump into MySpace, Facebook and other services nearest to their grad date it is often the case. But it seems like even people closer to their 30 year high school reunion than their prom are going to be able to make those connections thanks to services like Classmates.com and SchoolFeed.

United Online, the owner of the website Classmates.com, announced this morning that it acquired social media application company SchoolFeed -- terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. 

SchoolFeed is a fast-growing social networking service created by former co-founder and CEO of RockYou Lance Tokuda. The company, which leveraged Facebook to offer users an easier way to connect with former classmates, is now part of the United Online family which already includes Memory Lane, Classmates.com and European-focused StayFriends, as other services like floral services FTD and Interflora, NetZero, Juno and NetZero Wireless.

At the moment, SchoolFeed is a free Facebook app that raised a first round of $1.75 million in funding back in February.

A few months ago, SchoolFeed reported that it reached 10 million users and has been growing at approximately 100,000 new registrations per day on average over the past three months. That brings the usership to roughly 19 million members. 

Tokuda and the other SchoolFeed staff will join Memory Lane upon the deal’s closing, according to the company.

Classmates, which was bought by United Online in 2004, has digitized more than 130,000 high school yearbooks to help users search for former classmates by year rather than just by school.

"We expect the acquisition of schoolFeed by Memory Lane to solidify our Classmates service as the premier high school social media platform in the U.S.," said Mark R. Goldston, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of United Online, in a statement. "We anticipate that the addition of schoolFeed's installed base of 19 million registered members, together with its daily registrations, will create an opportunity for Classmates to have a leading position on Facebook. It should also provide an opportunity for both schoolFeed members and Classmates.com members to reconnect and interact with an even larger number of people from their high schools. In addition, we add the proven talent of Lance Tokuda and his team to enhance the Classmates.com user experience."

With more than 55 million registered consumer accounts and class directories covering over 25,000 high schools, Classmates reaches back all the way to high school graduates from the 1940s.

United Online (NASDAQ:UNTD) was trading flat at $3.97 during mid-day trading after the announcement.