OpenTable Co-founder & Former Zynga Designer Launch Glyder, an iPhone App for Small Business Marketing

Company Backed by 500Startups and Founders of HubSpot & Involver

SAN FRANCISCO, California – Glyder, a 500 Startups-backed company started by OpenTable co-founder Glenn Allen and former Zynga mobile designer Alan Wells, introduced its iPhone application for small business marketing today. For the first time ever, small businesses can create and share effective marketing messages via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Email, Text Message, MailChimp and Passbook, all from one easy to use iPhone app.

The Glyder application gives small businesses the three critical elements needed to reach their customers: effective content, professional visual design, and painless distribution across platforms. The Glyder application is free to download and use, with premium templates and additional distribution options available for $0.99 each via in-app purchase. Co-founders Glenn and Alan started Glyder after recognizing just how complicated and expensive online marketing has become for the millions of small businesses that have less than 5 employees and lack the design and marketing resources of larger companies.

“Very small businesses still struggle with the complexity of online marketing – they have to reach their customers on multiple platforms and are underserved by existing web-based tools. They don’t have the time required to figure out all the platforms or the money to hire an employee or consultant,” says Glenn, whose experience starting OpenTable helped develop the idea for Glyder. “After meeting hundreds of business owners and seeing the same issues over and over again, it became clear that these businesses need a faster, easier, more affordable way to communicate with their customers. We’re putting the power of professional design and proven customer communication into their pocket at a price that puts the interests of the business owner first.”

Glyder differentiates itself from other online marketing tools by focusing on a completely mobile experience. “For our customers, having Glyder in their pocket means they’re able to be proactive about marketing their business without taking time out of their day to sit behind a computer, away from their customers,” says Alan, a product designer whose experience working on Zynga’s first two mobile games inspired Glyder’s in-app purchase pricing model. “Our goal is to make getting effective content and professional design as easy as buying a virtual item in a game or a book on a Kindle.”

Glyder has been in closed beta since August of this year, with users including boutique retail stores, restaurants, and service businesses. “Glyder is my primary source for marketing my business on the go from my phone. It’s fast and easy to use, allowing me to send professional messages in no time at all,” says Jess Coe, a massage therapist at Grounded Bodywork in San Rafael, CA. With today’s launch, Glyder is now available as free download on the iTunes App Store.

Along with the launch, Glyder also announced a seed round raised earlier this year from 500Startups, Dharmesh Shah (HubSpot), Rahim Fazal (Involver), Arjun Dev Arora (ReTargeter), Eric Kim (Twylah), and previous OpenTable investors. “There are millions of organizations that should be reaping the rewards of online marketing. Glyder’s simple, mobile experience will pull many of them off of the sidelines and into the game,” says Dharmesh Shah, Glyder investor and co-founder of HubSpot.

Glyder is available for free at http://www.glyder.co and on the iTunes app store (short link: http://glydr.co/AppStore). Contact Glenn Allen ([email protected] or 415-944-7858) for press inquiries.

ABOUT GLYDER, San Francisco, CA. Glyder is the first marketing tool that gives small businesses everything they need to reach their customers in one easy to use iPhone app. By providing message templates with customer communication best practices, professional visual designs, and painless distribution across platforms, Glyder enables small businesses to create and share messages with their customers anytime, anywhere, and on any social platform. Glyder is available as a free download on the iTunes App Store (http://glydr.co/AppStore).