GroupMe didn’t get crowned this year’s Foursquare at SXSW for lack of charm. And that winsome nerdiness was on full display, in all its Lord of the Rings-quoting glory, during a recent tour of its headquarters when TechCrunch’s Jason Kincaid stopped by. After Mr. Kincaid takes a moment to marvel at his surroundings “You can see cabs and tall buildings everywhere!” he ventures into the start-up’s new 10th floor lair. Watch co-founders Jared Hecht and Steve Martocci as they take Mr. Kincaid around their sprawling office, past the customized pound-sign smiley-face carpet, beyond the embarrassing drunk photos of Mr. Kincaid on the flatscreen, and around the dead squirrel statue pilfered from Pivotal Labs to the “secret makeout hallway. “

But it’s not all fun and games on your way to scaling up. The co-founders carefully note who shows up late to the townhall meetings. If you’re late once, you owe the group a six-pack. Mr. Hecht, of his own volition, says he’s on his way to a fourth offense. The penalty? A keg. That should go nicely with the Johnnie Walker collection in the kitchen.

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