Google to buy Like; Facebook buys Chai Labs

It's hardly a slow summer for 'search-related' startups and mergers and acquisitions

It hardly feels like the dog days of summer in Silicon Valley, as both Google and Facebook make some interesting acquisitions in search-related businesses.

Facebook has bought Chai Labs for more than $10 million, according to AllThingsD.

Chai Labs, which focuses on improving search for publishers, such as current clients - NBC Local and Associated Content - was founded in 2007 by Goku Rajaram, who's been referred to as the "godfather of AdSense."

Chai Labs has raised more than $2.4 million from some of the more prominent angel investors and Silicon Valley veterans, including, Marc Andreessen, Reid Hoffman and Joe Kraus. Facebook did not immediately respond to my email seeking comment.

Meanwhile, Google is in talks to buy Like.com for $100 million, according to TechCrunch, which cited multiple sources.

Like.com started in April 2006 as Riya - a tool for organizing photos. Its co-founder and CTO, Burak Goturk, specialized in computer vision technology and had filed for two-dozen facial-recognition patents.

It then re-launched as Like.com in November 2006 as the first visual search engine for products. The company had since raised $51 million from investors Menlo Ventures, Crosslink, Bay Partners, Blue Run Ventures and Leapfrog Ventures.

 As of last year, Munjal Shah, founder and CEO, said Like.com was generating $20 million in revenue. See the video below of Munjal presenting at an event produced by Vator and TheFunded.

Munjal did not immediately respond to my email seeking comment.