Linktree acquired link-in-bio rival Koji — its second consolidation buy of 2023

Linktree is an Australian link-in-bio platform — one page consolidating a creator's links, extended with monetization tools and social network integrations.

Owning the category beats competing in it: two acquisitions in six months could lock in Linktree's lead as the default link-in-bio platform.

Linktree had raised over $165 million to date; Koji raised $36 million through parent GoMeta. The acquisition price was undisclosed.

GoMeta, founded by Dmitry Shapiro and Sean Thielen in 2016, repurposed its mini-apps product into Koji, a link-in-bio platform, in March 2021.

Koji raised $36 million through its parent entity and served more than 700,000 creators. Linktree, after acquiring Sequoia-backed rival Bento in June 2023 with the whole team joining, bought Koji on 14 December 2023 — its second link-in-bio acquisition of the year. Through 2023 Linktree also added integrations with Threads and Snapchat, monetization options like 'Buy me a gift', and a SendOwl partnership for selling digital goods.

Koji's link-in-bio product shut down on 31 January 2024. Koji users were offered three months of Linktree's Pro plan; Linktree did not say whether migration tools were provided or whether Koji's team was joining.

Buying a 700,000-creator rival and dating its shutdown is category lock-in: the users move to Linktree whether they choose to or not.

Two acquisitions in six months signals a deliberate consolidation strategy, not opportunistic M&A.

The acquirer kept optionality — Bento's product stayed live while Koji's was killed — deciding each acquired asset's fate separately.

When you created the category, buying rivals and migrating their users can be cheaper than fighting them — the acquirer keeps the brand, the acquired product disappears on a date certain.

Koji's link-in-bio product closed on 31 January 2024. Linktree continued as the category's default, with its Bento acquisition still operating and no comment on either product's longer-term future as of the announcement.