Type Private Website punchbowl.com Founded 2006 | Headquarters Framingham, MA, USA CEO Matt Douglas (2006–) Founders Matt Douglas, Sean Conta | |
 | ||
Industry Online Invitations, Software Profiles | ||
Punchbowl.com is a free web-based online invitations service and digital greeting cards site based in Framingham, Massachusetts. The company was founded in 2006, received venture funding from a variety of sources, and the website was then launched in 2007. The service allows users to plan and organize parties and events, with features such as customizable online invitations and local vendor search. The site has received media attention from multiple outlets including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and TechCrunch. In 2007 it was listed on PC World’s "25 Web Sites to Watch", and in 2008, it received the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) Award for Usability, and was an Honoree for a 2008 Webby Award. In 2010, Entrepreneur Magazine listed it as one of the "100 Most Brilliant Companies", and the site was also lauded in The Oprah Magazine and Women's Health. In 2014, Punchbowl was named the exclusive provider of online invitations for Disney Interactive. In 2015, the company was awarded another MITX Award for ‘Best UX’ and unveiled the 2015 “Characters Kids Love” Collection, confirming collaborations with Nickelodeon, WWE, and Activision.
Contents
Company history
Punchbowl was founded by software and user interface experts Matt Douglas and Sean Conta, who previously worked together at Bose Corporation. Incorporated on April 11, 2006, the company officially launched on January 15, 2007 under the name MyPunchbowl.com as a free site for party planning.
The company was funded by Contour Venture Partners, Intel Capital, and eCoast Angels, receiving its seed round of funding on October 2, 2007 from lead investor Intel Capital. On September 16, 2008, Punchbowl announced its Series A round of funding in the amount of $2.1M led by Contour Venture Partners.
Punchbowl has acquired two companies. "I’m In!" on November 17, 2009, and Socializr on November 12, 2010, a Silicon Valley event management platform created by Friendster founder Jonathan Abrams.
In September 2010, the company announced that it had surpassed one million registered users and had acquired the Punchbowl.com domain. In September 2011, the company introduced a new product called Digital Greeting Cards which is a free eCards service.
In February 2014, Punchbowl was named the exclusive provider of online invitations for Disney Interactive. The collection features beloved Disney favorites such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Frozen, Disney Princess characters, Disney Fairies characters, Toy Story, Cars, The Muppets, and many more.
In October 2014, Punchbowl unveiled a new user interface and launched the “Characters Kids Love” invitation collection. The collection includes hundreds of branded invitations that feature iconic, beloved characters. The 2014 “Characters Kids Love” collection featured invitations from Disney, Sesame Street, Hello Kitty, My Little Pony, Transformers, and more.
Punchbowl released the 2015 “Characters Kids Love” collection in June. It includes collaborations with Nickelodeon, WWE and Activision.
The company has licensed its technology to leading retail and media sites, including Oriental Trading Company, 1-800-FLOWERS, Lifetime, Cozi, and Premier Designs.