Scvngr CEO: 'LevelUp Should Be The Bigger Business'

Austin, TX- One year after launching his mobile answer to Groupon, called LevelUp, here at SXSW, ClickZ asked Scvngr CEO Seth Priebatsch what business unit is of greater importance to his company.

“LevelUp should be the bigger business eventually because it moves money,” he said. The comment seems to reveal that his Boston-based firm is increasingly pivoting from taking on Foursquare to competing more in the deals space.

During the last 12 months, Priebatsch’s marketing team has rolled out the loyalty-based deals app to eight major markets, first launching in Boston and Philadelphia. Here’s an example of how LevelUp can work: When users link their credit or debit card to their app account, they can earn a designated cash rebate/credit by scanning a QR code at participating merchants when making a purchase. If they visit frequently, the app awards a greater rebate/credit.

Priebatsch claims some merchants in Boston are processing more payments via LevelUp than they are via major credit cards like Amex. The 22-year-old CEO said the app is procuring $1 million in payments per month, increasing by double digits during recent weeks.

Even though his two-year-old location-based app, Scvngr, has far more users (2.5 million), Priebatsch suggested that young LevelUp has become his focus. He hinted there would be new brand partners unveiled in the coming weeks.

“It’s going so well,” Priebatsch said. “We definitely have high hopes for it.”