mergers and acquisitions

Church technology startup Subsplash acquires top competitor Custom Church Apps

by Nat Levy on October 8, 2019October 8, 2019 at 7:34 amComment

Subsplash, a Seattle startup that builds software and apps for churches, acquired one of its top competitors: Austin-based Custom Church Apps. The company says the deal solidifies it as a… Read More

Stem cell startup Silene Biotech acquired by NanoSurface Biomedical in all-Seattle deal

by James Thorne on September 25, 2019September 25, 2019 at 6:38 pm1 Comment

NanoSurface Biomedical has snapped up Silene Biotech in a union of two Seattle startups that bets on the growing importance of stem cells in drug development. With the acquisition, NanoSurface… Read More

Amazon acquires INLT to help sellers import goods to the U.S.

by Nat Levy on September 25, 2019September 25, 2019 at 6:30 amComment

Amazon has acquired INLT, a startup that helps merchants deal with cross-border shipping. As first reported by Reuters, the deal will allow Amazon to better help sellers import goods into… Read More

Microsoft-owned GitHub acquires code analysis startup Semmle to bolster security

by Nat Levy on September 18, 2019September 18, 2019 at 10:49 amComment

GitHub has acquired Semmle, the San Francisco-based maker of a code analysis platform, to bump up security for the coding repository. Semmle, which has an office in Bellevue, Wash., aims… Read More

Migraine drugmaker Alder Biopharmaceuticals to be acquired for nearly $2B by Lundbeck

by James Thorne on September 16, 2019September 16, 2019 at 9:34 amComment

Danish drugmaker Lundbeck is set to buy Bothell, Wash.-based Alder Biopharmaceuticals in a deal that could be worth up to $1.95 billion, sending Alder’s stock rocketing up 83 percent on… Read More

Video

How a stealthy insurance tech startup bootstrapped its way to a $2.35B acquisition in less than 4 years

by Monica Nickelsburg on September 5, 2019September 6, 2019 at 11:01 amComment

It started as conversations between two friends about how to improve the insurance and financial services industries for consumers. That idea turned into a company when Michael Rowell and Michael… Read More

GeekWire Calendar Picks: Women in leadership; science fiction convention; API conference; more

by Nicole Tanner on August 30, 2019August 29, 2019 at 9:15 pmComment

— Seattle online retailer Zulily is teaming up with women’s professional soccer team Seattle Reign FC for an event designed to encourage women leaders to thrive in all walks of… Read More

Why Nestlé just bought a personalized vitamin startup in Washington state

by James Thorne on August 29, 2019September 3, 2019 at 11:49 am1 Comment

A small startup from the Pacific Northwest is now part of a global food and beverage behemoth. Nestlé Health Science this month acquired Snoqualmie, Wash.-based Persona Nutrition, a startup that… Read More

Mobile marketing startup Airship acquires Apptimize to bolster customer experience testing

by Nat Levy on August 27, 2019August 26, 2019 at 11:29 pmComment

Mobile marketing startup Airship scooped up Apptimize, a San Francisco-based user experience testing company, in its second acquisition so far this year. The deal helps Airship toward its goal of… Read More

Microsoft acquires e-commerce marketing company PromoteIQ to bolster advertising business

by Nat Levy on August 5, 2019August 5, 2019 at 11:34 amComment

Microsoft scooped up New York-based PromoteIQ, a startup that helps retailers build digital advertising and e-commerce offerings, for an undisclosed amount. PromoteIQ brings with it a roster of big-name customers,… Read More

Salesforce completes $15.7B acquisition of Tableau Software, creating new enterprise tech force

by Nat Levy on August 1, 2019August 1, 2019 at 12:31 pmComment

Salesforce has wrapped up its $15.7 billion acquisition of Seattle’s Tableau Software, creating a powerful force in the lucrative enterprise software world. The deal shakes up the Seattle tech scene… Read More

Scoop: T-Mobile acquires mobile marketing startup PushSpring to bolster advertising tech

by Nat Levy on July 31, 2019July 31, 2019 at 3:14 pmComment

T-Mobile’s pending megamerger with former rival Sprint garnered worldwide attention. But another T-Mobile acquisition flew under the radar as the wireless giant scooped up a Seattle mobile marketing startup to… Read More

Commercial IoT startup Rigado sells Bluetooth tech to Swiss wireless company u-blox

by Nat Levy on July 31, 2019July 31, 2019 at 10:35 amComment

Rigado, a nine-year-old Portland, Ore. startup that builds commercial IoT products and services, sold a portion of its business to Swiss wireless company u-blox. Rigado sold off its Bluetooth Module… Read More

Home improvement marketplace Porch acquires HireAHelper, doubling down on moving services

by Nat Levy on July 23, 2019July 22, 2019 at 10:28 pmComment

Seattle startup Porch has acquired San Diego-based moving marketplace HireAHelper. It’s the second moving services company that fast-growing home improvement marketplace Porch has acquired in the past three months. HireAHelper… Read More

New filing on Salesforce’s Tableau deal reveals tough six-month negotiations, $552M break-up fee

by Nat Levy on July 3, 2019July 3, 2019 at 12:21 pmComment

Salesforce’s $15.7 billion acquisition of Tableau Software came together after nearly six months of back-and-forth negotiations, and the companies didn’t agree on major details — including how much Tableau was… Read More

Bristol-Myers deal to acquire Juno parent Celgene delayed amid FTC concerns

by James Thorne on June 24, 2019June 24, 2019 at 10:57 amComment

The $74 billion merger of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene has been delayed as FTC pushback spurred Celgene to divest a major psoriasis drug. The news rattled investors’ confidence and sent… Read More

Uber reportedly wants to acquire Seattle computer vision startup Mighty AI to bolster self-driving tech

by Monica Nickelsburg on June 19, 2019June 25, 2019 at 8:10 amComment

Uber is reportedly eyeing Seattle startup Mighty AI as an acquisition target. Three anonymous sources tell The Information that Uber held “recent talks” to buy Mighty AI, which develops training… Read More

Regulators want T-Mobile and Sprint to spin off new wireless carrier to ease competition concerns

by Nat Levy on May 29, 2019May 29, 2019 at 5:10 pm1 Comment

One of the chief concerns of the mega-merger between T-Mobile and Sprint is that it would reduce the number of major U.S. wireless carriers in the U.S. from four to… Read More

Former Wave Broadband execs scoop up Northwest operations of ex-rival Frontier for $1.35B

by Nat Levy on May 29, 2019May 29, 2019 at 3:45 pm 2 Comments

WaveDivision Capital, an investment company operated by the founder of Wave Broadband and several former executives, has teamed up with Searchlight Capital Partners to acquire the Northwest operations of internet… Read More

LinkedIn acquires Drawbridge to bolster its marketing and advertising offerings

by Nat Levy on May 28, 2019May 28, 2019 at 1:50 pm1 Comment

LinkedIn has acquired Drawbridge, a well-funded San Francisco-area startup that uses artificial intelligence to learn more about customers and target audiences. In a blog post, the Microsoft-owned company said it… Read More

Streem acquires U.K. computer vision startup Selerio to bring ‘smart AR’ to phone cameras

by Nat Levy on May 21, 2019May 21, 2019 at 9:04 amComment

Streem, a Portland-based company that aims to use augmented reality to help people and companies communicate better, has acquired a computer vision startup and brought in some new funding. Streem… Read More

Smartsheet scoops up Seattle resource management startup 10,000ft, its 3rd acquisition

by Nat Levy on May 2, 2019May 2, 2019 at 10:29 amComment

Work collaboration software company Smartsheet acquired 10,000ft, a Seattle startup that helps companies plan and manage how they use their resources. The deal will help Smartsheet customers improve planning and… Read More

Ahead of Zoom’s IPO, new report says Microsoft repeatedly tried to acquire video conferencing company

by Nat Levy on April 17, 2019April 17, 2019 at 4:37 pmComment

Video conferencing company Zoom is set to go public this week, but its future could have been a lot different, according to a new report. Recode reported that Microsoft has… Read More

Amazon acquires Canvas Technology to bolster warehouse robotics capabilities

by Nat Levy on April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 at 11:19 pmComment

Amazon has acquired Canvas Technology, a Boulder, Colo., robotics company that powers autonomous vehicles in industrial settings. Amazon for years now has pushed to automate parts of its warehouses, deploying… Read More

Home improvement marketplace Porch makes another acquisition as headcount hits 500

by Nat Levy on April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 at 12:48 pm 2 Comments

Porch is making another acquisition, its second after the home improvement startup came out of a self-imposed quiet period almost a year ago following a challenging time that included significant… Read More

F5 Networks paying $670M to acquire NGINX, a web server that runs a big chunk of the internet

by Nat Levy on March 11, 2019March 11, 2019 at 3:32 pm 2 Comments

F5 Networks says it is acquiring NGINX, one of the most popular web servers on the internet today, for $670 million. The deal is a huge one for F5, which… Read More

Pop culture toy maker Funko expands into board games with acquisition of Seattle studio

by Nat Levy on February 15, 2019February 28, 2019 at 2:25 pm1 Comment

Funko, the maker of the popular Pop! figurines and other pop culture items, has acquired Seattle board game studio Forrest-Pruzan Creative. The deal brings Funko into the board game world.… Read More

Will Amazon buy Etsy, Kohl’s, or the Seahawks? GeekWire predicts the tech giant’s next big deals

by Nat Levy on February 13, 2019February 13, 2019 at 11:21 amComment

Amazon’s M&A team has gotten off to a busy start in 2019. This week’s announcement that the tech giant plans to acquire mesh WiFi startup eero makes three buys so… Read More

Amazon acquiring mesh WiFi startup eero, doubling down on smart home

by Nat Levy on February 11, 2019February 12, 2019 at 10:48 am1 Comment

Amazon says it will acquire eero, the San Francisco-based maker of mesh home WiFi routers. The deal strengthens Amazon in the smart home arena, an area Amazon has been very… Read More

Microsoft acquires DataSense data analytics platform for schools from edtech company BrightBytes

by Nat Levy on February 4, 2019February 4, 2019 at 9:15 amComment

Microsoft is acquiring the DataSense data analytics platform from San Francisco-based education tech company BrightBytes, aiming to bring data analytics tools to schools around the country. DataSense is a platform… Read More