Tag: mergers and acquisitions

Microsoft acquires Semantic Machines to bolster ‘conversational AI’ efforts

by Nat Levy on May 20, 2018May 21, 2018 at 10:23 amComment

Microsoft has acquired Semantic Machines, a “conversational AI” startup in Berkeley, Calif., to further its work in building machines that can converse naturally with humans. Semantic aims to advance the… Read More

Walmart pays $16B for majority stake in India’s Flipkart, escalating Amazon rivalry

by Nat Levy on May 9, 2018May 9, 2018 at 8:10 amComment

Walmart is buying a majority stake in Flipkart, the top online retailer in India, further escalating its battle with Amazon to the global stage. Walmart is paying $16 billion for… Read More

Howard Schultz-backed Gatheredtable’s software assets acquired by Medifast

by Nat Levy on April 20, 2018April 20, 2018 at 10:30 amComment

Gatheredtable, a Seattle startup backed by former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz that aims to make meal planning less stressful, said its software has been acquired by diet and weight loss company… Read More

Here’s how much T-Mobile paid to acquire Layer3 for its upcoming TV service

by Nat Levy on February 8, 2018February 8, 2018 at 11:41 amComment

T-Mobile paid $325 million for Layer3, the Denver-based company that will form the backbone of the self-proclaimed Un-carrier’s TV service set to launch later this year, according to a filing… Read More

Microsoft acquires Seattle startup PlayFab to bolster cloud offerings for game developers

by Nat Levy on January 29, 2018January 29, 2018 at 12:47 pm1 Comment

Microsoft said it has acquired Seattle gaming startup PlayFab, in a bid to strengthen its position in the more than $100 billion market. PlayFab started four years ago, and it… Read More

$2.36B acquisition of Wave Broadband closes, forming nation’s 6th largest cable company

by Nat Levy on January 24, 2018January 24, 2018 at 2:23 pm1 Comment

A $2.36 billion deal to form the sixth largest cable company in the U.S. by combining Kirkland, Wash. broadband provider Wave and RCN Telecom Services has closed. TPG Capital acquired RCN and Grande… Read More

Amazon scoops up wire-free connected camera maker Blink to bolster smart home offerings

by Nat Levy on December 22, 2017December 22, 2017 at 10:18 amComment

Amazon has acquired Blink, a startup based in Andover, Mass. that makes wire-free smart security cameras and video doorbells. Blink announced the acquisition on its website, telling customers that nothing… Read More

DocuSign acquires tech and hires core team from Paul Allen-backed machine learning startup Appuri

by Nat Levy on December 19, 2017December 19, 2017 at 8:25 amComment

Electronic signature and digital contract giant DocuSign has acquired the key technology behind machine learning company Appuri and hired the majority of the Seattle-based startup’s team, planning to integrate its artificial intelligence… Read More

Storage startup Livible acquires Boston company as Terry Drayton’s latest venture expands nationally

by Nat Levy on November 21, 2017November 21, 2017 at 8:59 amComment

Livible, the storage company founded by startup vet Terry Drayton, has acquired Boston-based Fetch Storage as it embarks on East and West Coast expansion. Livible aims to take the hassle… Read More

QuoteWizard acquires online insurance site RateElert, expanding its reach and products

by Nat Levy on October 31, 2017October 31, 2017 at 8:39 amComment

Seattle-based insurance comparison startup QuoteWizard has acquired RateElert, an Ann Arbor, Mich. insurance shopping site. QuoteWizard will acquire RateElert’s insurance marketing assets in addition to its insurance technology rate comparison… Read More

Reports: T-Mobile-Sprint merger crumbling as parent companies disagree on ownership

by Nat Levy on October 30, 2017October 30, 2017 at 3:12 pmComment

The long-rumored merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, the nation’s third and fourth largest wireless carriers, is falling apart, according to news reports. Nikkei reported that a disagreement over ownership of… Read More

News Brief

Seattle tech recruiter Greythorn acquired by Vaco

Domain name registry Donuts raises $110M in financing to help fund $213M acquisition of former rival Rightside

by Nat Levy on August 9, 2017August 9, 2017 at 9:48 am1 Comment

Donuts, a domain name registry based in Kirkland, Wash., has raised $110 million in financing to help complete its $213 million acquisition of fellow domain company Rightside Group. Donuts said the… Read More

Amazon completes $580M acquisition of Middle East e-commerce giant Souq.com

by Nat Levy on July 3, 2017July 3, 2017 at 8:20 amComment

Amazon has completed its purchase of Souq, a 12-year-old e-commerce company sometimes called the Amazon of the Middle East. Amazon paid $580 million in cash for the Dubai-based online retailer, according… Read More

Seattle shipping tech company ShipRush acquired for $14M by Canadian logistics software firm

by Nat Levy on May 25, 2017May 25, 2017 at 8:56 amComment

Canadian logistics software company Descartes Systems Group has acquired ShipRush, a Seattle company that helps small and medium-sized companies and retailers manage their shipping operations. The purchase price is $14 million,… Read More

Lighthouse eDiscovery merges with Discovia to form self-described largest electronic discovery company

by Nat Levy on May 17, 2017May 17, 2017 at 8:28 amComment

Lighthouse eDiscovery, a Seattle-based company that provides electronic discovery products to help lawyers quickly sift through mountains of complex documentation, has merged with San Francisco-based Discovia. The addition of Discovia, an electronic discovery company focused… Read More

Report: T-Mobile and Sprint merger talks have started up again

by Nat Levy on May 12, 2017May 12, 2017 at 10:33 am 3 Comments

Rival wireless companies T-Mobile and Sprint are once again talking about merging. According to a report from Bloomberg, Sprint, as well as its biggest shareholder, SoftBank Group Corp. have had informal… Read More

Rover acquires DogVacay, its biggest competitor in the online dog-sitting marketplace

by Kurt Schlosser on March 29, 2017March 29, 2017 at 2:19 pm 4 Comments

Rover.com, the Seattle-based leader in the online pet sitting and dog walking marketplace, is taking a big bite out of the competition by acquiring DogVacay, the second-largest such company in the $15… Read More

Verizon drops Yahoo acquisition price by $350M following data breach disclosures

by Nat Levy on February 21, 2017February 21, 2017 at 10:59 am1 Comment

Verizon said it will pay $4.48 billion to acquire Yahoo’s operating business, a reduction of $350 million off the original price, following a pair of big data breaches disclosed last year.… Read More

Report: Verizon near agreement to lower price of Yahoo acquisition, suggesting deal is close

by Jillian Stampher on February 15, 2017February 15, 2017 at 8:43 am1 Comment

Verizon is reportedly close to cutting the price of its deal to buy Yahoo, signaling that they could complete the acquisition soon. According to Bloomberg News, the telecommunications company wants to lower… Read More

More tech companies filed for IPOs in 2016, but overall exits fell globally

by Jillian Stampher on January 31, 2017January 30, 2017 at 11:12 pmComment

Nearly 100 tech companies went public in 2016, despite the number of overall exits going down, according to CB Insights. The company’s 2016 Global Tech Exits Report, released Tuesday, found… Read More

Did Amazon secretly acquire online meeting startup Biba? Newly uncovered filings point to deal

by Nat Levy on November 17, 2016November 17, 2016 at 11:13 am1 Comment

Merger documents uncovered by GeekWire suggest that Amazon last year stealthily acquired Biba, a San Francisco-based company that makes chat, video and audio conferencing tools for businesses. Documents filed with the Delaware… Read More

Feds approve $2.6 billion Tesla-SolarCity merger, but stock market says ‘meh’

by Alan Boyle on August 25, 2016August 25, 2016 at 3:53 pm1 Comment

The Federal Trade Commission has given its approval for Tesla Motors’ acquisition of the SolarCity power panel company, saying that the combination would create no antitrust concerns. The go-ahead removes… Read More

WRQ spinout NetMotion Wireless sells again, this time to private equity powerhouse The Carlyle Group

by Nat Levy on August 15, 2016August 15, 2016 at 9:58 amComment

NetMotion Wireless, a Seattle-based producer of mobile performance management and security software, has been sold to Washington D.C.-based asset management firm The Carlyle Group. The deal is set to close… Read More

Elon Musk and Tesla make $2.8 billion offer for his other company, SolarCity

by Kurt Schlosser on June 21, 2016June 21, 2016 at 3:51 pmComment

Tesla Motors, the electric vehicle and battery company headed by Elon Musk, has made a $2.8 billion bid to acquire SolarCity, the sustainable energy company of which Musk is chairman… Read More

Bezos-backed Remitly buys moving selfie startup Talio to improve money transfer connections

by James Risley on July 14, 2015July 14, 2015 at 9:55 am1 Comment

Remitly, a mobile payments company that helps people send money to the Philippines and India, announced today that it has acquired Talio, a mobile messaging company that lets users send… Read More

Whitepages reinforces scam-fighting tech with NumberCop acquisition

by James Risley on June 10, 2015June 10, 2015 at 10:00 amComment

Seattle-based Whitepages has acquired NumberCop, a service that fights against phone scammers, robo-calls and SMS phishing. The San Francisco-based company’s technology will be incorporated into Whitepages’ existing Caller ID app. “The… Read More

Microsoft reportedly eyeing purchase of social news reader Prismatic, along with Apple and Yahoo

by Blair Hanley Frank on March 2, 2015March 2, 2015 at 10:53 am 2 Comments

Microsoft is interested in expanding its recent acquisition spree by picking up social reader application Prismatic, a social reader application, according to a report by TechCrunch. The San Francisco-based company is reportedly… Read More

mergers and acquisitions