Snap Acquires Saturn Social Calendar App

Snapchat may be getting social calendar features soon. On Friday, Snap confirmed to TechCrunch that it had purchased Saturn, a calendar software that assists kids in managing and sharing their school calendars. The deal’s financial details were not made public. Saturn will remain a stand-alone application.

Although Snap’s plans for Saturn are unclear, the company told Engadget that the calendar app will remain available as a stand-alone service. Additionally, it implied that the acquisition would facilitate the addition of calendar-focused features to Snapchat.

Although a calendar app might seem like a strange pick for Snap, customers of the two services obviously have a lot in common. Snap claims that around 80% of high school students in the US attend institutions that support Saturn (more than 17,000 high schools have it available, according to its App Store website). According to Pew Research, over half of American teenagers use Snap.

The company didn’t disclose the terms of the deal however as part of the process after the purchase by Snap, Snap claims that nearly every member of the Saturn team will be joining it, with less than 30 full-time staff joining. As part of the deal, Snap is bringing on the whole Saturn team.

Despite not providing many details about its acquisition plans, a representative for the firm told TechCrunch via email that Snap will creatively integrate Saturn’s calendaring knowledge into Snapchat.

Saturn, which was founded in 2018, adds a social component to reinvent the calendaring experience. The startup’s goal is to make it possible for college and high school students to interact with their peers and know which classes their friends are enrolled in without having to exchange several photos of their various schedules.

In order to create plans, users can share their calendars with their friends, allowing them to see what they’re doing in real time and what they have planned. Users can share their practice, rehearsal, meeting, gaming, and other schedules in addition to their classes.

Snap claims that 80% of high schools in the United States support Saturn and that many schools use it. Snap thinks that by making scheduling a more dynamic and interesting experience, Saturn has contributed to its success. Snap says the two firms plan to work together in order to establish more in-person relationships.

Compared to the standard calendar software, Saturn is also far more sociable compared with Snap. Teens may quickly share and compare their calendars with pals because of its Snapchat-like appearance. Additionally, it supports elements like block schedules, rotation calendars, and extracurricular activities that are unique to the routines of many high school students. Although it appears to be less popular with that slightly older group, Saturn also offers features for college students.

Founded by Max Baron (COO) and Dylan Diamond (CEO of Saturn), the business has previously raised funds from a number of well-known investors, including Jeff Bezos’ Bezos Expeditions, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. 

Forbes stated in 2021 that Bezos Expeditions, Marc Benioff, Dara Khosrowshahi, Ashton Kutcher, and Guy Oseary’s Sound Ventures were among the investors who contributed $44 million to Saturn’s investment round, which was led by General Catalyst, Insight Partners, and Coatue.

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