The Switzerland-based company behind the Doodle online scheduling service announced today that it has acquired Meekan, a scheduling chatbot developed in Israel.
“The integration of Meekan enables Doodle’s next step forward,” said Christoph Brand, head of the digital division at Tamedia, which owns Doodle, in a press release. “The chatbot as an intelligent virtual assistant allows fast scheduling without having to consult one’s own calendar. It has definitely enormous potential.”
Above: Screenshot of @meekan bot
The two sides did not disclose a price. But they did say that Tel Aviv-based Meekan founders Lior Yavor, Eyal Yavor, and Matty Marianksy will join the company and continue to oversee the development of their product.
The company said Meekan’s technology would be integrated directly in its Doodle polls. Currently, Meekan uses a chatbot interface and artificial intelligence to help members of a group schedule meetings. Over time, Meekan learns the preferences and habits of its users.
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Doodle, for its part, already has a user base of 26 million users per month.
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