It looks like Facebook has acquired Branch Media, the startup behind conversation service Branch and link-sharing service Potluck.
Co-founder Josh Miller made the announcement on Facebook. He said his team will be forming a new Conversations group, which will be based in New York City, “with the goal of helping people connect with others around their interests.” He added, “Although the products we build will be reminiscent of Branch and Potluck, those services will live on outside of Facebook.”
The post is light on details (Miller said he’s currently on vacation and is only posting now because he “was tipped that the story was going to leak”), but The Verge is reporting that the price was $15 million. I’ve reached out to Facebook for more information and will update if I hear back.
Branch Media’s investors include Obvious Corp. (the incubator led by Ev Williams, Biz Stone, and Jason Goldman — in a 2013 post,, Williams said Goldman “relocated to New York City last year to spend most of his time working with … Branch”), Lerer Ventures, Betaworks, SV Angel, and others. The startup reportedly raised $2 million in seed funding.
Update: A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the Branch Media team will be joining the company. They declined to discuss the terms of the deal, but they emphasized that it was a talent acquisition.