- Snap Inc. has acquired Saturn, a social calendar app designed for high school and college students, with the app continuing to operate independently.
- Nearly all of Saturn’s team, including around 30 full-time employees, will join Snap to help integrate calendaring features into Snapchat.
- Saturn allows students to share schedules for classes and activities, and is supported in about 80% of U.S. high schools.
- The app previously raised $44 million from major investors, and Snap sees the acquisition as a way to strengthen real-world connections among Gen Z users.
Snap Inc., the parent company behind Snapchat, has acquired Saturn, a rapidly growing social calendar app built for high school and college students. While the financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, the acquisition marks a strategic move for Snap as it looks to deepen its connection with younger audiences and expand its footprint in social utility tools.
According to a source, Saturn will continue to operate as a standalone app even after the acquisition is finalized. This allows Saturn to maintain its current user experience while benefiting from Snap’s resources and broader ecosystem.
Saturn Team Joins Snap to Drive Innovation
Snap confirmed that almost the entire Saturn team will be joining Snap as part of the acquisition. Just under 30 full-time employees are transitioning to the company, bringing their expertise in calendaring and social scheduling.
Their experience and insights are expected to play a critical role in Snap’s efforts to explore new ways to integrate calendar-based features into the Snapchat platform.
A Snap spokesperson noted that while specific integration plans are still under wraps, the company sees a strong opportunity to incorporate Saturn’s capabilities into Snapchat in innovative and engaging ways that align with its mission of enhancing real-world connections.
Making Scheduling Social
Founded in 2018, Saturn was created to modernize the traditional calendar experience by making it social, collaborative, and tailored to the lives of students.
The app allows high school and college students to share their schedules with friends, see what their peers are doing throughout the day, and coordinate plans without the usual hassle of screenshot exchanges or endless texts.
The app is not limited to academic schedules. Users can add events like sports practices, club meetings, theater rehearsals, and social gatherings. This flexibility has helped Saturn become a go-to planning tool for students looking to stay connected and manage their time effectively.
Widespread Adoption Across U.S. High Schools
Snap emphasized that Saturn already enjoys widespread usage across the United States, with the app supported in approximately 80 percent of U.S. high schools.
The company believes that Saturn’s success comes from its ability to turn everyday planning into a fun, dynamic, and interactive experience that keeps students engaged.
By bringing Saturn into its portfolio, Snap aims to build on this momentum and create new tools that help younger users form stronger connections both online and offline.
The acquisition is seen as part of Snap’s broader strategy to evolve beyond traditional messaging and media sharing and to offer more meaningful, real-life utility.
Backed by Major Investors and Tech Visionaries
Saturn’s potential was recognized early on by some of the tech world’s most prominent investors. In 2021, Forbes reported that Saturn had raised $44 million in a funding round led by General Catalyst, Insight Partners, and Coatue.
The round also included contributions from Bezos Expeditions, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, and Sound Ventures, the venture capital firm co-founded by Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary.
These investments helped Saturn scale quickly and build a solid foundation among student users, positioning it as a leader in the emerging category of social scheduling.
Snap’s Broader Vision for Student Engagement
Snapchat has long been a dominant platform among Gen Z, and this acquisition signals Snap’s continued efforts to offer tools that are not just fun but also functional.
By integrating elements of scheduling, time management, and real-time social engagement, Snap aims to enhance the depth of user connections on its platform.
As Snap continues to face competition from other social apps, especially those focusing on younger demographics, the integration of a student-centric tool like Saturn could give it a distinct edge.
The company appears to be betting that the future of social media is not just in sharing content but also in sharing real-life plans, schedules, and all.
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