ABB adds business intelligence to software offering with Obvient acquisition

January 7, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Power and automation technology group, ABB is to acquire Obvient Strategies, a privately owned specialist software provider, adding Obvient’s solutions to its recently acquired Ventyx software portfolio. The transaction will further enhance ABB’s software offering for asset management, power distribution automation and smart grid applications.

Obvient offers software and services for industries and utilities with geographically dispersed assets. The company’s business intelligence software collects, analyzes and reports critical real-time as well as periodic information. This supports decision making and helps users to optimize operations. As well as helping to manage complex operations, the solutions also reduce operating costs and improve asset reliability. Obvient’s unique products compile the power transmission and distribution sector’s best business practices into prepackaged solutions.This enables companies to monitor and manage their distributed assets more effectively, on a real-time and event-driven basis.

“The Obvient portfolio is highly complementary to our own software solutions for the power sector,” said Jens Birgersson, head of ABB’s Network Management business within ABB’s Power Systems division. “It significantly strengthens our software-based solutions, enabling us to provide better service to our customers, from asset health and customer care to distribution and outage management.”

ABB plans to retain the Obvient team and place its executives in key roles within the Ventyx product management organization. The company has offices near Atlanta, Georgia, and a staff of 40.

“We are delighted to join the global ABB family. We have already worked together on a number of projects and joining our complementary portfolios makes perfect sense,” said Ray Kasten, president and CEO of Obvient Strategies. “This move will enable Obvient to enhance support for our rapidly growing customer base while accelerating our product development initiatives.”

Switzerland, Zurich & USA, Atlanta, GA

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FamilyFinds acquires Mamaloot

January 7, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

FamilyFinds.com, an online daily deal site focused on services and experiences for families, has acquired Mamaloot – a daily deal site focused on families in the Chicago market.  Mamaloot will now operating under the FamilyFinds name.

“We are expanding across the country in a rapidly growing market, so the opportunity to add both a presence in a top market and experienced, passionate team members makes sense,” said Matt Coffin, chief executive officer, FamilyFinds.  “The team at Mamaloot had a similar idea when they launched as we did; provide great deals across local communities to the families that seek them out.”

“This marks the first of our growth expansion plans into key markets nationwide,” said Brian Barnum, president, FamilyFinds.  “Now reaching all of Los Angeles and Chicago allows us to provide millions of families with up to 90% off at places they shop, eat and play, as well as offer inspirational ideas on fun things to do with family.”

USA, Santa Monica, CA & Chicago, IL

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Repucom acquires Image Impact

January 7, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Repucom America, the provider of broadcast content measurement in the United States, has acquired Image Impact.

The operational merging of Repucom and Image Impact will be undertaken over the next six months and will bring a consolidated, single voice to the measurement of content in the US and Global sports market.

In announcing the deal, the CEO of Repucom, Paul Smith praised the Founder of Image Impact, Russ Cline, and his team for their efforts in building a very effective business.

“Ten years ago Russ Cline revived the role of broadcast content analytics in sports marketing in the United States by bringing sound methodology and process to the largest sports media market in the world,” said Mr. Smith. “The opportunity to work in partnership with Russ and his entire team at Image Impact was one that made strategic, commercial and financial sense,” he added.

Russ Cline, CEO of Image Impact is delighted with the arrangement.  “In the last two years we have seen the US sports market becoming far more aligned with global research trends and initiatives.  We have sought to be part of a truly global business model and the opportunity with Repucom was ideal,” said Mr. Cline.

Through this transaction Image Impact will become part of RSMG Insights along with Sport+Markt AG and Repucom.  RSMG Insights is the largest specialist sports marketing research agency in the world.

USA, New York, NY & Kansas City, KS

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ProQuest acquires ebrary

January 7, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet
ProQuest has acquired e-book pioneer ebrary.  The agreement will marry both companies’ user-centric technologies and add a growing pool of a quarter-million e-books to ProQuest’s content offerings.  The combined collection will enable users to search seamlessly across multiple formats – books, journals, dissertations, newspapers, video, and more – and across eight centuries of the world’s knowledge.  

“This is a game-changer for global research,” said Marty Kahn, ProQuest CEO.  “While a natural next step has been to enhance e-book discovery for ProQuest platform users, there’s also far greater potential here.  We’re primed for imaginative technology mash-ups that will energize users and accelerate the knowledge industry.  The creative minds and deft technologists of ebrary are a welcome and fitting addition to our future-oriented business.”  

Founded in Palo Alto in 1999, ebrary is a fast growing leader in the rapidly evolving e-book industry, having increased its 2010 revenue by more than 30 percent over the previous year.

ProQuest plans continued investment in ebrary’s popular products and services for the academic, corporate, and public library markets including Academic Complete™ the company’s flagship product.  ProQuest will also expand ebrary’s selection of research tools and ability to support new e-book devices as well as broadening language coverage from its current support of major European languages to include Chinese, Arabic and others.  Further, the company will accelerate the indexing of e-book content on its own platform where books offered by ebrary will be searchable along with ProQuest’s research content.   

ebrary founders Christopher Warnock and Kevin Sayar will remain to lead the business in its Palo Alto headquarters.  

“ebrary is extremely excited to become a part of ProQuest,” said Christopher Warnock, CEO of ebrary.  “There is tremendous synergy between our products and services as well as our teams.  Together, we know that we can provide best-of-kind services to libraries worldwide and the users they serve.”

“This is the next chapter for ebrary,” said Kevin Sayar, ebrary President.  “We are happy to be part of an organization with a broad range of strengths and we’re looking forward to collaborating in ways that will inspire entirely new information solutions and captivate new users.”

USA, Ann Arbor, MI & Palo Alto, CA

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US information industry M&A report shows deal value and volume Up 36%

January 7, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Berkery Noyes has released its 2010 Information Market M&A Trends Report. The report analyses merger and acquisition activity in the US Information Industry in 2010 and compares it with activity in the three previous years.

Highlights

  • Transaction volume in 2010 surpassed 2009 by 36 percent, climbing to 2,046 transactions.
  • Transaction value has increased by 36 percent as well, with $112 billion in aggregate acquisition value.
  • The median revenue and EBITDA multiple both increased over 2009, with the revenue multiple rising to 1.8 and the EBITDA multiple to 11.2, a 29 percent increase over the 8.7 of 2009.

“Multiples have started to make a return to pre-crisis levels,” said James Berkery, CIO of Berkery Noyes. “There are more deals happening and there are higher valuations. While we’re not at the levels we saw in 2007, I think we’re well on the road to recovery.”

Strategic acquirers have been the most common acquirer in the industry, yet financially sponsored transactions rose 39 percent by value over 2009 while losing 2 percent in volume over 2009. This trend of larger financially sponsored transactions is further evidenced by two of the top seven deals by value this year being made by financial acquirers: Interactive data Corporation’s acquisition by Warbug Pincus and Silver Lake Partners for $3.2 billion and Visma ASA’s acquisition by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. for $1.9 billion.

Google was not only the most active buyer in the information industry in 2010, with 28 acquisitions, but was also the most active buyer from 2007 through 2010, with 48 transactions during that time.

The largest transaction in 2010 was Intel Corporation’s announced acquisition of McAfee, Inc., for $7.55 billion.

To view the full report click here:

USA, New York, NY

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Skype To Acquire Qik

January 6, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Skype is to acquire Qik, a provider of mobile video software and services that enable individuals to capture and instantly share video from anywhere. Qik has 60 employees, and is headquartered in Redwood City, California and has an office in Moscow, Russia. The transaction is expected to close in January 2011. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, though it is being reported that Skye are paying $150 million, including an earnout.

Qik was founded in 2006 and offers innovative and flexible solutions to capture and share video with anyone across mobile devices, the web, and desktop platforms. Videos can be shared in real time or stored so moments can be viewed later, allowing for video messaging, sharing and archiving. The Qik service is available across the Android, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry and Windows Mobile platforms, and comes pre-loaded on a wide variety of mobile handsets through partnerships with handset manufacturers and carriers.

The acquisition of Qik enables Skype to add video recording, sharing and storing capabilities to Skype’s product portfolio. Through this acquisition, Skype will also be able to leverage the engineering expertise that is behind Qik’s Smart Streaming™ technology, which optimizes video transmission over wireless networks.

“The Qik team has delivered exceptional video experiences for its mobile partners and millions of end users across a range of devices,” said Tony Bates, Skype’s Chief Executive Officer. “Skype’s software enables an estimated 25 percent of the world’s international long distance voice calling minutes , and approximately 40 percent of those Skype-to-Skype calls are happening over video. Qik’s deep engineering capabilities and strong mobile relationships will be an impressive complementary fit with Skype.”

“Qik has worked very hard to solve complex problems that allow millions of people everyday to take advantage of sharing their lives with those people who are most important to them,” said Vijay Tella, Chief Executive Officer of Qik. “Joining Skype allows Qik’s team to unite with Skype’s talented team to develop new and innovative products for our customers and partners.”

Luxembourg & USA, Redwood City, CA

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PostUp acquires Echofon

January 5, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

PostUp has acquired Echofon, the suite of Twitter applications developed by naanstudio, and previously known as “TwitterFon” and “TwitterFox.”

Echofon is currently used by more than 3 million people internationally, across multiple platforms. Additionally, Echofon was one of the first Twitter applications to introduce User Streams, a new Streaming API that gives Twitter desktop applications real-time capabilities and streams. GigaOm included Echofon in its top five Twitter applications for iPad, citing its Echofon Pro synchronization capabilities for the iPad, iPhone and desktop. It also has an Echofon for Facebook app available for the iPhone.

USA, Pasadena, CA

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Negotiations for Hearst’s Acquisition of Lagardere’s International Press and Magazine Business confirmed

January 5, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Hearst Corporation and Lagardère SCA have confirmed that they have entered into an agreement providing for exclusive negotiations until January 30, 2011 for the acquisition by Hearst of Lagardère’s international press and magazine business in an all cash transaction. Fusion DigiNet first reported the story on December 21, 2010,

USA, New York, NY and France, Paris

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Travel Leaders Group acquires Vacation.com

January 5, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Travel Leaders Group has acquired Vacation.com from Amadeus Americas. Vacation.com is North America’s largest vacation and cruise selling network in terms of locations with more than 5,100 travel agencies throughout the United States and Canada. Travel Leaders Group has total travel sales in excess of $6 billion, and owns well-known agency brands such as Travel Leaders, Tzell, Results! Travel, Nexion, Cruise Holidays and Cruise Specialists.

Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben said that Alexandria (VA)-based Vacation.com will continue to operate as a stand-alone division led by its President Steve Tracas. Tracas will report directly to Liben. Vacation.com is the product of the 1998 acquisition and consolidation of 10 leading travel agency marketing organizations.

“Vacation.com brings excellent quality agencies, increased size and significant buying opportunities to Travel Leaders Group,” explained Michael Batt, Chair and Founder of Travel Leaders Group. “We exist solely to improve the operations and profitability of traditional travel agencies and agents and there is no question in my mind that by bringing together almost one third of North America’s agencies under one umbrella we can do even more for each and every agency and agent working within our brands and companies. We believe this is a good day for Travel Leaders, Vacation.com and the travel agency community in general and we very much look forward to working with the management teams from both Travel Leaders and Vacation.com to continue to improve all our agencies competitiveness, operations and profitability.”

USA, Eden Prairie, MN

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Platts completes acquisition of BENTEK Energy

January 5, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Platts, a global provider of energy and metals information and a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.  has completed for an undisclosed cash sum its acquisition of BENTEK Energy, LLC, a privately held energy market analytics company headquartered in Evergreen, Colorado. DigiNet first reported the acquisition on December 14, 2010. Bentek, which provides analytics and information services to a blue-chip customer base in North America, is widely recognized as the industry leader in natural gas market fundamental analysis.

“Bentek’s expertise in utilizing data modeling to provide clients with business-critical analytics and insights strengthens Platts’ analytical capabilities and enables us to enhance the content and value of our North American and European natural gas products,” said Larry Neal, president of Platts.  

Bentek will continue to operate under its current name with its current management.

USA, New York, NY & Evergreen, CO

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