M&A roundup - week ending 10/31/15

Cisco made multiple purchases; Intel acquired Saffron; Porch bought Fountain

IBM acquired technology and products from The Weather Company. While no financial terms of the deal were disclosed, a report in The Wall Street Journal has pegged the value of the deal at $2 billion.

The company purchased The Weather Company’s B2B, mobile and cloud-based web properties, including WSI, weather.com, Weather Underground and The Weather Company brand. It did not acquire The Weather Channel, though it will still license weather forecast data and analytics to IBM under a long-term contract.

IBM plans to combine its new assets with its cognitive and analytics platform, specifically with Watson, its artificial intelligence platform.

Identity theft protection company LifeLock acquired music sharing service Bop.fm. No financial terms of the deal were disclosed.

The team is going to LifeLock and the Bop.fm website, mobile app, and embeds will be shut down on October 31, 2015.

Founded in 2013, Bop.fm was a Y Combinator graduate that had raised $2 million in venture funding.

Porch.com, a home services platform for homeowners and home professionals, acquired advice marketplace Fountain. No financial terms of the deal were disclosed. 

Aaron Patzer, CEO and co-founder of Fountain is re-locating overseas for personal reasons but will remain an active product advisor for Porch. Meanwhile, the Porch San Francisco office will be led by Fountain co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Jean Sini.

Fountain had raised $4 million in venture funding.

Blippar, an image recognition and augmented reality platform, acquired Binocular, a creator of augmented reality applications for brands. Financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed.

Blippar will fully incorporate the Binocular team into company operations, and will work together to seamlessly develop integrated AR and VR solutions for clients.

To enable Blippar to continue adding local, emerging talent to its team of professionals, Binocular will remain based in Austin.

Cisco acquired Lancope, a provider of flow-based network security, performance and application monitoring solutions for enterprises. Cisco will pay $452.5 million in cash and assumed equity awards, plus additional retention based incentives for Lancope employees who join Cisco.

The Lancope team will join the Cisco Security Business Group organization led by David Goeckeler, senior vice president and general manager.

The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of fiscal year 2016, subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory review.

Lancope had raised $24.6 million in venture funding.

Cisco announced its intent to acquire 1 Mainstream, a company that offers a cloud-based video platform designed to quickly launch live and on-demand OTT video services to a variety of connected devices. No financial terms were disclosed.

1 Mainstream will join Cisco's Service Provider Video Software and Solutions Cloud Engineering Group, under the leadership of Conrad Clemson, senior vice president and general manager.

The acquisition is expected to be complete in the second quarter of Cisco’s current fiscal year.

1 Mainstream, which was founded in 2012, had raised $5 million in venture funding.

Cisco also announced that intends to acquire ParStream, which offers a big data analytics online platform. No financial terms were disclosed.

The ParStream team will be integrated into Cisco’s Analytics and Automation portfolio, joining the Data and Analytics Group. The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of fiscal year 2016.

ParStream was part of the Cisco Entrepreneurs in Residence start up program. The company has raised $8 million in venture funding.

HomeAway, an online marketplace for vacation rentals acquired the remaining stake of Travelmob, an online start-up for vacation rental properties in Asia Pacific. No financial terms of the deal were disclosed.

The company had previously bought a majority stake in Travelmob in 2013, with Travelmob retaining 37% of the business.

The deal was HomeAway's first launch in Asia, and it has also launched 14 new localized websites across China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Kora and other Asian markets. Travelmob has now rebranded to HomeAway.

Raycom Media, a privately-held broadcaster acquired PureCars, a  digital advertising platform for the automotive industry. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

PureCars will operate as a separate unit within Raycom Media and maintain its development campus in Atlanta and offices in Charleston, S.C. and Milwaukee. The combination will allow for a cohesive platform that unifies traditional and digital advertising across television, desktop, tablet and mobile.

Founded in 2007, PureCars has over 150 employees and three offices. It had raised $10 million in venture funding.

Cypress Growth Capital acquired HomeSphere, a digital B2B customer acquisition and retention platform for the homebuilding industry. No financial terms of the deal were disclosed. 

As a result of the transaction, Glenn Renner has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the new entity. Jim Waldrop, HomeSphere’s founder, will become Chairman of a newly formed Advisory Board. All other employees will continue in their current roles.

East Wind Advisors acted as exclusive financial advisor to the seller.

HomeSphere had raised $2 million in venture funding.

Intellectsoft, an international software development specialist, acquired Mobile Roadie, a mobile app publishing and marketing platform. No financial terms of the deal were disclosed.

By combining Intellectsoft’s development resources with Mobile Roadie’s user engagement tools, the pair is now positioned to share an expanded range of creative and commercial capabilities with its combined clientele.

Together the two companies will develop solutions for clients at any stage of mobile maturity. Additionally, their combined marketing and maintenance expertise will ensure apps reach the right audience.

TravelClick, a provider of cloud-based solutions for the hospitality industry, acquired ZDirect, a customer relationship management platform in the hospitality sector. No financial terms of the deal were disclosed.

As TravelClick incorporates ZDirect into its business intelligence, reservations and media solutions products, the new solution will provide unrivaled customer insight with an integrated platform to develop marketing campaigns. It will be made available to TravelClick’s 38,000 global hotel clients via its leading team of in-market hotel experts, enabling the platform to rapidly increase its reach and market adoption.

Datamyne, a provider of business intelligence based on multinational trade data, acquired Zepol Corporation, a provider of online trade data tools. No financial terms of the deal were disclosed.

Zepol’s data provides competitive intelligence, market research, lead generation, sourcing, and trade compliance to positively impact organizations’ profitability.

Brendan McCahill will continue as CEO of Datamyne, and will also lead an integration team that includes Zepol CEO Paul Rasmussen. Zepol offices and data facilities will be incorporated in the Datamyne network.

Greenwood Hall, an education technology company that enables colleges and universities to increase revenue and improve student engagement and outcomes, entered into a Letter of Intent to acquire Uvize, a cloud-based SaaS EdTech provider that operates a social network linking students with mentors. No financial terms of the deal were disclosed.

The Letter of Intent is non-binding and the parties will work together to finalize the transaction with an anticipated close in the first quarter of 2016. Uvize Co-Founder and CEO Dave Cass and his senior leadership team are expected to join Greenwood Hall when the transaction is finalized.

Uvize had raised $500,000 in venture funding.

Cengage Learning, a provider of teaching, learning and research solutions, acquired of Pathbrite, a portfolio learning platform. No financial terms were disclosed.

Pathbrite enables students to collect, track and showcase their work to demonstrate completion of assignments for graduation, accreditation and job placement. 

Founded in 2012, Pathbrite has users at 900 K20 institutions. It has raised $11.7 million in venture funding.

Entertaining and hosting platform Spectra acquired 3D venue visualization company Ballena Technologies. No financial terms of the deal were disclosed.

Ballena's Seats3D and Seat Relocation Management System will be integrated into the Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement ticketing and fundraising platform.

Ballena products serve over 100 venues that are home to NCAA, MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL and MLS teams as well as racing, concert and many other attractions. Current Ballena clients who use a non-Spectra Ticketing system will be able to continue to leverage the Seats3D and SRMS solutions to help fans buy, renew or upgrade tickets through current partnerships.

Intel acquired Saffron, a leading cognitive computing platform provider. No financial terms of the deal were disclosed.

As part of Intel’s New Devices Group, Saffron will continue growing its existing, standalone business as well as contribute its technology to Intel efforts and platforms spanning new devices, big data, cyber security, healthcare and IOT.

Founded in 1999, Saffron had raised $7.54 million in venture funding.

SnapAV, a manufacturer of installation-friendly audio, video and CCTV products to residential and commercial A/V integrators, acquired SunBriteTV, a manufacturer of premium outdoor TV displays and digital signage solutions for residential and commercial applications. No financial terms of the deal were disclosed. 

SunBriteTV is also the outdoor TV of choice for many professional sports stadiums, including Yankee Stadium, Gillette Stadium, Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, Marlins Park and many others.

Intrepid Investment Bankers advised SunBrite TV on the transaction.

(Image source: playerscapital.net)