Business collaboration company Jive Software of Palo Alto is buying OffiSync, a Seattle-based startup known for a plug-in that adds social and collaboration features to Microsoft Office programs. OffiSync was founded by two Microsoft veterans, brothers Oudi and Roy Antebi, who have been working out of Seattle and Israel.
Tony Zingale, Jive CEO, calls it “a game-changing acquisition” for his company, saying in a news release that it puts Jive in a position to become the largest “social business” platform for Microsoft Office users.
OffiSync CEO Oudi Antebi, who has been based in the Seattle region, will join Jive as senior vice president of enterprise solutions, based out of Palo Alto. Roy Antebi, the startup’s CTO, will join Jive as vice president of engineering, leading an expanded research and development effort in Israel.
OffiSync’s engineering team was largely based in in Israel already. Jive doesn’t plan to maintain a presence in Seattle, a spokesman tells GeekWire. The company has a large office in Portland.
Financial terms weren’t disclosed, but Forbes points to a news site in Israel that puts the deal in the $25 to $30 million range. Backers of OffiSync were Israel-based Vertex Venture Capital and Seattle-based GTD Capital LLC.
OffiSync also boasts one of the top applications in the Google Apps Marketplace — making it the latest in a string of startups from that marketplace to be acquired. See this San Jose Mercury News story for more on that trend.
