Founder Maria Zhang with the Alike app. (GeekWire File)

Yahoo has acquired Seattle-based Alike for an undisclosed sum, aiming to bolster its own mobile technologies by bringing aboard the team responsible for Alike’s data-crunching mobile recommendation system.

Alike announced the news on its site this morning, saying that it will no longer support the Alike apps on the iPhone and the web. The startup’s technology allows users to enter restaurants or other locations that they like, and then provides recommendations based on nearby locations with similar qualities.

All five members of Alike’s team will join Yahoo’s mobile group in California. The Alike team is led by Maria Zhang, a Microsoft and Zillow veteran (and former GeekWire Geek of the Week).

The startup says on its site, “We’ve always been passionate about the growing power of intelligent mobile experiences. We believe that distilled information, deeply personalized and made accessible anytime and anywhere, is what makes mobile experiences a part of our customers’ daily lives. In Yahoo! we’ve found a team as excited about this vision as we are, and who are serious about making it real. We’re super excited to join Yahoo!’s mobile team, where we can march toward that vision faster than ever.”

Yahoo says in a statement: “Yahoo! has acquired mobile startup Alike. The Alike team created an app that focuses on personalization — using the restaurants and places you like to find the ones you’ll love. We were very impressed by the team and their approach to building personalized experiences. The entire Alike team will join Yahoo!’s mobile organization in San Francisco and Sunnyvale.”

Previously: Geek of the Week: Maria Zhang’s big-data startup shows you what’s ‘Alike’

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