Private Equity
IBM said Monday that it has inked an agreement to acquire Cloudant. No financial terms were disclosed. Based in Boston, Cloudant is a provider of distributed database-as-a-service. Its backers include Y Combinator, Avalon Ventures, In-Q-Tel, Samsung Ventures, Toba Capital, Devonshire Investors and Rackspace.
5 min read · 24 February 2014
Oracle said Monday that it has agreed to buy BlueKai. No financial terms were disclosed. BlueKai is a big data platform for marketing campaigns. Its backers include Redpoint Ventures, Battery Ventures, GGV Capital and e.ventures.
2 min read · 24 February 2014
The $19 billion Facebook is paying for the instant messaging service is by far the most ever paid for a VC-backed company. What comes in second place?
2 min read · 24 February 2014
Granular (formerly known as Solum) has raised $4.2 million in financing. The investors were Andreessen Horowitz, Google Ventures and Khosla Ventures. Also, Monsanto Company has bought Granular's soil science business. No financial terms were disclosed. Headquartered in San Francisco, Granular is a provider of cloud software and analytics for farmers.
4 min read · 21 February 2014
Global financial services firm BBVA has agreed to acquire Simple for $117 million. Based in Portland, Oregon, Simple is a provider of digital banking services. Its backers included SV Angel, Anthemis Group, Neu Venture Capital, Lerer Ventures and First Round Capital.
3 min read · 21 February 2014
Facebook will pay $19 billion in cash and stock for mobile-messaging startup WhatsApp, producing a huge return for Sequoia Capital. WhatsApp raised just a single round of venture capital totaling $8 million from Sequoia and an unidentified investor in April 2011 at a valuation of $78.36 million, according to Thomson Reuters.
3 min read · 20 February 2014
Health and fitness platform MyFitnessPal said Wednesday that it has acquired Sessions. No financial terms were disclosed. Based in San Francisco, Sessions is a personal coaching app. Its backers include Rock Health, Collaborative Fund, SV Angel and Australia's Blackbird Ventures.
2 min read · 19 February 2014
GENBAND, a multimedia and cloud communications solutions developer, has agreed to acquire uReach Technologies. No financial terms were disclosed. Based in Holmdel, NJ, uReach is a provider of advanced communications’ technologies, platforms and services. GENBAND's backers include HLM Venture Partners, Oak Investment Partners, Venrock, Star Ventures, Wheatley Partners and Siemens Venture Capital.
4 min read · 18 February 2014
San Francisco-based Klout has reportedly been acquired for $100 million by Lithium Technologies. The companies have not yet announced a deal, but online publications, including re/code reported last week that the deal is closed. Klout, which measures the influence of users on social media, has raised at least $40 million in known financing since it was founded in 2008.
1 min read · 15 February 2014
Huron Capital Partners has launched Albireo Energy, and partnered with Phil Bomrad, to invest in and partner with regional and niche energy service providers. The aim is to invest in or acquire companies in $20 million to $200 million range serving the building efficiency market.
2 min read · 14 February 2014
