Kindred Announces Acquihire of Mango, Appoints Founder as CTO
Among rapid growth, the home swapping network acquires Mango, brings on founder Bryan Li
SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kindred, a members-only home swapping network, announced today the acquihire of intentional dating app Mango and its founder, Bryan Li. Li has joined Kindred as Chief Technology Officer.
At Mango, Li leveraged technology to bring people together through authentic, real-time connections. Founded in 2021, the app was building AI-powered matchmaking to efficiently and effectively connect users. The acquisition is poised to expand Kindred’s matching capabilities for home swaps with the app’s proprietary technology and Li’s expertise.
Li brings a wealth of experience in building and scaling products, most notably as Director of Engineering at both LinkedIn, where he optimized the job search functionality, and Tinder, where he focused on the matchmaking and social discovery experience with algorithmic matching, in addition to software engineering tenures at Yahoo, Microsoft, and Electronic Arts. Prior to developing Mango, Li also co-founded Medmonk, a technology platform that provides financial assistance to patients undergoing medical treatment. In his new role as CTO, Bryan will oversee the development of Kindred’s technology platform and lead the engineering team as the company continues to expand its offerings and reach.
“We’re delighted that Bryan has joined the team as CTO,” said Justine Palefsky, Kindred CEO and co-founder. “His extensive experience in engineering and product development, combined with his passion for Kindred’s mission, make him the perfect person to lead our technology development. We are confident he will play a key role in continuing to drive innovation and expansion at Kindred.”
With the addition of Bryan to the leadership team, Kindred is well-positioned to continue its growth and success as a leading home swapping network. The acquisition and his hiring come at a crucial point for Kindred, which has rapidly expanded and has surpassed 2,000 member nights booked after coming out of stealth in April 2022. Through its unique give-to-get home sharing model, Kindred empowers members to live a more travel-rich lifestyle for a fraction of the cost of booking a rental or hotel.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join Kindred and be a part of such a mission-driven company,” said Li. “Home swapping harnesses the power of human connection to make travel more accessible. I look forward to working with the team to realize this worthy vision.”
To learn more about Kindred, visit https://livekindred.com/.
About Kindred
Founded by Justine Palefsky and Tasneem Amina in 2021, Kindred is a home swapping network that allows members to live a travel-rich lifestyle for a fraction of the cost of a hotel or vacation rental. The network harnesses the power of community through its give-to-get model. To learn more visit LiveKindred.com or follow along on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Contacts
Media
Kari Porter
kindred@scoutlab.com