Zynga acquires Spooky Cool Labs

June 23, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

ZyngaZynga has acquired Spooky Cool Labs, a Chicago based game studio focused on developing real-money online slot games. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

spookycoolZynga’s chief revenue officer Barry Cottle said, “We have a legacy in social casino franchises with Zynga Poker, and we believe that free-to-play social casino games for the Web and on mobile have the potential to reach and connect a much broader audience,”

Joe Kaminkow, founder of Spooky Cool, said “When we founded Spooky Cool Labs, we used to dream that someday we would be so good that an innovative company, like Zynga, would notice. Today is that day. We are proud to now be a part of the Zynga team and are confident that we bring a particular excellence in game development to the social casino genre. We are excited about our games which are fun to play and that include leading licensed content that resonate with players worldwide.”

The Spooky Cool team will stay in Chicago and work with Zynga’s San Francisco-based social casino gaming team. Joe Kamikow will work with Zynga as part of the company’s social casino team. However, he will also continue to lead game design at Aristocrat Leisure Limited, a land-based slots manufacturer based in Australia.

Earlier this month Zynga announced substantial cost reductions, including reducing its workforce by approximately 520 employees or approximately 18% of its global workforce.

USA, San Francisco, CA & Chicago, IL

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AP buys stake in Bambuser, strengthens live UGC video capability

June 21, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

The Associated Press has purchased a minority stake in Bambuser, the  live video service that allows users to broadcast, watch and share live video through mobile phones and computers. The investment builds on the exclusive editorial relationship that the AP has with Bambuser.

Under terms of the deal AP’s director of global video news, Sandy MacIntyre, will join Bambuser’s board as a non-executive director. It is the culmination of a three-year relationship with Bambuser that last year saw the AP sign an operational agreement providing news agency exclusivity for real-time video syndication of content from participating Bambuser users. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Bambuser has a proven track record for enabling real-time creation, solicitation and distribution of user-generated content (UGC), especially for news-related content.

The AP already uses UGC-sourced and verified content as an everyday part of the news agency’s newsgathering activities, and there is increasing demand for live video content from broadcasters and online publishers. Through Bambuser, AP can source UGC video news live from the scene from eyewitnesses exclusively for its broadcast and online publisher customers. In addition, Bambuser provides the AP with access to an established community of video contributors who can act as effective “first responders” across the world. AP’s journalists also use Bambuser as a newsgathering tool when out in the field.

“User-generated video content of live and breaking news is the new frontier of news generation,” MacIntyre said. “Bambuser is the proven platform for eyewitnesses around the world to stream their video content and has been invaluable to the AP over the past year, allowing us to access footage of verifiable breaking news stories that would simply not have been possible before. Moreover, we have always been deeply impressed by the proven technology from the small but very talented team at Bambuser.”

MacIntyre added: “This investment by the AP is a natural extension of our existing relationship with Bambuser and will ensure that we retain our dominant capability in gathering and verifying UGC video news. The evidence that UGC is set to grow in importance and volume is plain to see. Nearly a fifth of the world’s population has a smartphone and that is a phenomenal eyewitness resource that Bambuser makes technologically possible. It means that anyone can be one button click away from generating live news that will change the way the world receives the “first word” of a story. With the AP and Bambuser working closely together, I firmly believe we can take UGC to new heights.”

UK, London

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McGraw-Hill Education acquire ALEKS Corporation,

June 21, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

McgrawhilleducationMcGraw-Hill Education is to acquire ALEKS Corporation, the privately held developer of the ALEKS® adaptive learning technology for the K-12 and higher education markets. The acquisition is McGraw-Hill Education’s first since it was acquired by funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, in March 2013. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur early in the third quarter of 2013.

aleksALEKS uses research-based, artificial intelligence to rapidly and precisely determine each student’s knowledge state, pinpointing exactly what a student knows and doesn’t know. ALEKS then instructs students on the topics they’re most ready to learn, constantly updating each student’s knowledge state and adapting to the student’s individualized learning needs. McGraw-Hill Education has marketed and sold ALEKS for math in the higher education space for more than 10 years.

In January 2013, McGraw-Hill Education acquired an equity stake in Area9 Aps, the Denmark-based adaptive learning company. McGraw-Hill Education and Area9 have worked together to develop products such as the LearnSmart Advantage adaptive learning suite, which includes SmartBook, the world’s first-ever adaptive e-book.

“At McGraw-Hill Education, our number one focus is providing solutions that generate improved results for students, educators, and institutions, and we believe that delivering personalized experiences through adaptive technology is a key ingredient to teaching and learning success,” said Buzz Waterhouse, president and chief executive officer of McGraw-Hill Education. “Through our acquisition of ALEKS, we’re working to grow and further develop the type of engaging, personalized experiences that we see as a central element in the future of education.”

McGraw-Hill Education will continue to sell ALEKS as a standalone solution over the near term, but the company plans deeper integration between ALEKS and its content and digital platforms.  As part of the acquisition, McGraw-Hill Education will maintain ALEKS Corporation’s current offices in Irvine, Calif.

USA, New York, NY & Irvine, CA

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Yahoo completes the acquisition of Tumblr

June 21, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

YahooYahoo! today announced it has completed its $1 billion pound plus acquisition of Tumblr. Tumblr will continue to operate as a separate business. David Karp will remain as chief executive officer.

tumblrOn the deal completion, Tumblr CEO David Karp said, “We are beyond excited to partner with Marissa (Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer) and the wonderful team at Yahoo! that we’ve already come to know well. Their support and belief in our vision gives us an opportunity now to be the most ambitious we’ve ever been.”

Previous reporting – Yahoo! to Acquire Tumblr for $1.1BN – promises not to screw it up

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IHS acquires PFC Energy

June 21, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

ihs_logo_mpInformation company IHS has acquired PFC Energy, a global consulting firm specialising in the oil and gas industry. Its clients are oil and gas operators, national oil companies, service companies, investors, governments and other stakeholders. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

PFC Energy was founded in 1984 and focuses exclusively on the energy sector, covering all phases of the energy value chain, and the pfc energyassets and activities of key countries and companies. It has 130 professional staff and is based in Washington, D.C. and also maintains offices in Houston, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow, Paris, Beijing and Singapore.

“The acquisition of PFC Energy brings energy information and research depth and strengthens our presence in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East,” said Scott Key, IHS president and chief executive officer. “For more than 25 years, PFC Energy has built a solid reputation as an integrated information, research and advisory firm covering the oil and gas value chain. This gives us the opportunity to expand the IHS presence in high-growth markets, and to leverage the skills and expertise of regionally located research colleagues who will support the growth of critical IHS energy solutions.”

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Twitter acquires Spindle

June 20, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

twitter3Twitter has acquired Boston-based app maker Spindle Labs. Spindle was founded by Pat Kinsel and Alex lambert. Spindle helps you discover the best social updates from nearby shops, restaurants, bars, event venues, parks, museums and galleries, community organisations, and other attractions. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Spindle app has been removed from the App Store.

Here is the announcement on the Spindle blog.

We’re very proud to announce that Spindle has been acquired by Twitter.

We’ve spent the past two and a half years building a product that helps you answer the question: “What’s happening nearby right now?” Every time we’ve experimented and looked beyond local discovery, we’ve been amazed by the breadth and quality of content shared on Twitter. By joining forces with Twitter, we can do so much more to help you find interesting, timely, and useful information about what’s happening around you.

The Spindle team will be relocating and joining the Twitter team in San Francisco. As part of this change, we’ll be sunsetting the Spindle service today to focus on these new and exciting opportunities.

To our users, friends, families, investors, advisors, and everyone else: thank you for your support. It’s been an incredible journey and we couldn’t have gotten here without you.

– The Spindle Team

USA, San Francisco, CA & Boston, MA

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TripAdvisor acquires GateGuru

June 19, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

tripadvisorTripAdvisor has acquired GateGuru, a mobile resource for flight and airport information around the world.  Built on a mix of user-generated content and information from the airports, flyers can view detailed maps and insights on stores, restaurants, amenities and gate locations.  Combined with weather forecasts, estimated security wait times and real-time flight status information, the app aims to take the stress out of flying. The terms of the deal were  not  disclosed.

gateguru

“Flying is often an essential part of a trip and we have continually developed our suite of flights products, from the pricing andavailability search on TripAdvisor, to our award-winning SeatGuru.com, with seat maps and more,” said Steve Kaufer, co-founder and CEO TripAdvisor, Inc.  “GateGuru nicely complements our existing flights products and we look forward to working with the GateGuru team as they continue to manage the GateGuru app and add great functionality to the TripAdvisor mobile experience.”

The GateGuru team will continue to operate out of New York City, and report to Bryan Saltzburg, General Manager New Initiatives and leader of the TripAdvisor Flights product and SeatGuru brand.

USA, Newton, MA & New York, NY

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Northstar Travel Media acquires digital publishing firm Your Travel Insider

June 18, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

NorthStar Your Travel InsiderNorthstar Travel Media, a business-to-business information company serving the travel and meetings industries and a portfolio company of Wicks Group, has acquired Your Travel Insider, a digital publishing firm focused on the consumer travel market. The  terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded by by Roy Weiss in 2003, Your Travel Insider publishes e-newsletters Your Travel Insider, Luxury Cruise News and Your Travel Insider – Travel Tools. Weiss becomes Group Publisher of Your Travel Insider with the acquisition by Northstar.

Your Travel Insider and Roy Weiss will report to Bob Sullivan, Executive VP, of Northstar Travel Media, LLC.

“The addition of Your Travel Insider provides Northstar with significant position in the consumer travel database market to complement our leadership in the travel trade industry,” said Thomas Kemp, chairman and CEO of Northstar Travel Media. “We’re very pleased that Roy and his talented team will be working in partnership with us to grow Your Travel Insider’s subscriber base, expand its digital footprint and continue to work with their base of blue-chip clients.”

USA, Secaucus, NJ

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WPP takes stake in early-stage mobile content platform Muzy

June 18, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

wppWPP has taken a stake in Muzy, Inc., an early-stage microblogging service focused on mobile content creation. Muzy has attracted over 20 million users globally and is adding more than 1 million new users each month.

The investment is being made through WPP Ventures, based in Silicon Valley and run by President Tom Bedecarré. He is also Chairman of AKQA. WPP Ventures explores early-stage investments in new technology companies that offer innovative solutions to WPP clients and strengthen the capabilities of WPP.

muzy

Headquartered in San Francisco, Muzy was launched in 2011 by its cofounders, CEO Andrew Chen and CTO Matt Rubens. Like manyweb publishing startups, Muzy currently employs less than 10 people. Muzy will use the investment proceeds to further scale the engineering team and build out the suite of creative publishing tools for the Muzy platform. It offers more than 50 mobile publishing tools and a global network for sharing content and is a Top 100 photo app in 70+ countries.

UK, London & USA, San Francisco

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Plum District has acquired Spotivate

June 18, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

plumdistrictPlum District, the local deals site led by Susan Kim, has acquired Spotivate, a startup founded by Anthony Lee, previously a Senior Software Engineer at Google and Jorge Chang offering local experiences to parents. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Reporting by TechCrunch

Spotivate blog announcement

San Francisco, CA

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