Yahoo Acquires Tech And Talent Of Frequent Flyer Flight Search Startup MileWise, And Shuts It Down

Yahoo has just acquired frequent flier search startup MileWise, whose team will move to New York to join the recently acquired Stamped team on Yahoo’s mobile squad. I hear MileWise’s investors made a small return, and MileWise’s entire five-person team is joining Yahoo. The startup has shut down its flight search.

MileWise specialized in helping serious travelers choose the cheapest flights, not just based on price, but also with frequent flyer mile discounts factored in. The Google ITA-data powered search engine could also let you see how many miles you could earn by buying certain flights. While it never reached the fame of sites like Kayak, it was a powerful resource for people who fly often.

Yahoo tells us, “Today Milewise and GoPollGo joined the Yahoo! mobile team. GoPollGo created a cool social polling app and the team has joined our mobile org in Sunnyvale. Milewise created a great app to make travel planning easier and personalized. They have joined our New York mobile team.” You’ll notice that Yahoo forgot the MileWise camel case in its own confirmation email.

For more info on the GoPollGo acquisition, read our story by Ingrid Lunden. We got tipped off that the MileWise acquisition was in the works last Monday, but heard it could still go either way so we didn’t publish. PandoDaily later reported the deal might go through.

The four-year-old MileWise had raised $1.5 million from Atlas VentureFounder CollectiveGeneral Catalyst PartnersHigh Line Venture PartnersiNovia CapitalDavid CohenGeoff JudgeMitch KaporKeith RaboisNaval RavikantDavid TischKal Vepuri and several other angels. They all apparently made a modest return on their investment.Milewise screenshot

The startup could bring know-how for helping Yahoo differentiate its travel.yahoo.com site from competitors as it focuses on the small screen. While MileWise itself has shut down and its search engine can no longer be accessed, its functionality could certainly end up in a Yahoo travel app. In the meantime, MileWise users will receive an email with instructions for exporting their data.

MileWise co-founders Nicholas Meyer and Vinay Pulim previously founded Reble.fm and later sold it to Playlist.com. Along with third co-founder Sanjay Kothari, these flexible, seasoned entrepreneurs are just the kind of talent Marissa Mayer is looking for. She wants to focus on user experience, and these guys know how to deliver something simple and easy but that adds unique value.

Here’s the full note from the MileWise team:

We’re proud to announce we’ve been acquired by Yahoo!

MileWise began almost four years ago with the goal of creating a simple, powerful product to help people and providers get the most value out of their rewards.

Along the way, we’ve been lucky to connect with an incredible community of fellow travelers, without whom we wouldn’t have made it this far. To everyone who took MileWise for a spin: THANK YOU! You shared our vision of what MileWise could become, and generously donated your time and passion towards making it a reality.

As part of the transition, the MileWise service will be shutting down. It’s tough to say goodbye to something we’ve dedicated so much to. But, we’ve tried to make it easy to take your data with you. We’ll be sending everyone an email with instructions on exporting your data, and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to email us.

The MileWise team will be joining Yahoo! in NYC’s Bryant Park office. We’re thrilled to be joining such a talented group of inventors, and can’t wait to get working on the next big thing coming out of Yahoo.

Again, we’d like to thank everyone who supported us along the way: our investors, our employees, our partners, and most importantly, our fellow travelers.

The MileWise Team