Twist and Shout, Inc.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 1 January 2011 in San Francisco, California, United States |
| Founder | Bill Lee, Mike Belshe, Frank VanZile, Edward Marks |
| Defunct | April 1, 2014 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
Key people | Bill Lee (CEO) |
| Products | Twist (mobile application) |
| Website | archived |
Twist and Shout, Inc. was a software firm located in San Francisco, California, established in 2011. Its flagship offering was Twist, a mobile application designed to allow users to share their real-time GPS position and estimated time of arrival (ETA) during travel.
The company discontinued its services on April 1, 2014.
History
Twist and Shout, Inc. was created by Bill Lee, Mike Belshe, Frank VanZile, and Edward Marks. By November 2013, it had secured $6 million in venture capital funds from backers such as Bridgescale Partners, Eric Hahn, Jeff Skoll, Bill Lee, and Mike Belshe. The enterprise concentrated on improving time management through innovative location-sharing solutions.
The advisory board included notable figures like David Sacks, CEO of Yammer; Matthew Cowan, Managing Director at Bridgescale Partners; and Eric Hahn, Partner at Inventures Group. The development team featured engineers with backgrounds from MIT, Apple, Google, and Stanford.
Products
The idea for the Twist app was conceived by co-founder and CEO Bill Lee. Designed to accommodate various modes of transportation—including driving, walking, and public transit—Twist enabled users to discreetly share precise ETAs with their contacts. The application connected seamlessly with calendars, contacts, email, chat platforms, and Google Maps, utilizing live traffic information to refine arrival time predictions. Twist was distributed free of charge without advertising and was accessible in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom on both iPhone and Android platforms.