Apple acquires app developer Buddybuild

January 2, 2018 — Fusion DigiNet

AppleApple has acquired Buddybuild, a Vancouver-based app tools developer focused on continuous integration and debugging tools. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Buddybuild was founded in 2015 by former Amazon employees Dennis Pilarinos and Christopher Stott. In its nearly three years of existence, the startup has managed to raise around $8.8 million. Its existing customers includes Mozilla, Hootsuite, Reddit, SoundCloud, FourSquare and The New York Times.

As part of the acquisition, Buddybuild will be rolled into Xcode, Apple’s suite of development tools for iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS.

USA, San Francisco, CA & Vancouver, BC

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Apple acquires music recognition app Shazam

December 11, 2017 — Fusion DigiNet

AppleApple has acquired the music recognition app Shazam, expanding its existing music offerings. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Launched in 1999, Shazam is an app that captures a clip of music that is playing. The clip is matched with a large database to return a matching result which can then be downloaded, currently from Spotify but in the future users could be directed to Apple Music instead. With a reported over one billion downloads to date, Shazam also has visual recognition capabilities which let users identify any TV show, film or advert by listening to an audio clip or a visual fragment.

Apple released a statement saying “Since the launch of the App Store, Shazam has consistently ranked as one of the most popular apps for iOS. Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion for music discovery and delivering great music experiences to our users.”

USA, San Francisco & Cupertino, CA

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Apple to acquired radio app Swell for $30

July 30, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

swell-appApple is acquiring the personalised talk-radio app Swell, adding to its existing iTunes radio music streaming service and Podcast app. The story was broken on Monday by Re/Code. According to Re/Code the The deal is worth around $30 million.

Swell is a product out of Concept.io, a startup founded back in 2012 in Mountain View and led by CEO and co-founder G.D. “Ram” Ramkumar. Swell had raised $7.2 million from investors including DFJ, Google Ventures and InterWest Partners.

For now the Swell app and the Swell.am websites just display a “Thank you” message. No mention is made of the Apple acquisition, nor if the service will be switched back on.

USA, Cupertino, CA & Mountain View, CA

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Apple to acquire Beats Music & Beats Electronics

May 28, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

Apple_Beats_1Apple is acquiring subscription streaming music service Beats Music, and Beats Electronics, which makes the popular Beats headphones, speakers and audio software. As part of the acquisition, Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre will join Apple.

Apple is acquiring the two companies for a total of $3 billion, consisting of a purchase price of approximately $2.6 billion and approximately $400 million that will vest over time. Subject to regulatory approvals, Apple expects the transaction to close in fiscal Q4.

“Music is such an important part of all of our lives and holds a special place within our hearts at Apple,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “That’s why we have kept investing in music and are bringing together these extraordinary teams so we can continue to create the most innovative music products and services in the world.”

Formally established in 2008 as the brainchild of artist and producer Dr. Dre and Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records Jimmy Iovine, Beats Electronics comprises the Beats by Dr. Dre family of premium consumer headphones, earphones, and speakers as well as patented Beats Audio software technology and streaming music subscription service Beats Music.

USA, Cupertino, CA & Santa Monica, CA

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Go Daddy acquires M.dot

February 12, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

mdotWeb hosting business Go Daddy, has acquired M.dot, a mobile app for small business website creation and management. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The M.dot app offers mobile website creation based on pre-loaded templates with easy-to-use custom features, such as store location, driving directions, tap-to-call, galleries, business hours and price lists, all in a user-interface designed for mobile device screens. It also includes a blog feature, which allows users to write and insert photos and video with rich text capabilities. It integrates with Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Dropbox.

“We’re pleased to welcome M.dot to our growing Go Daddy family,” said Go Daddy CEO Blake Irving, “M.dot’s global vision of a mobile future for small businesses fits beautifully with what our customers need right now.

M.dot was founded by Dominik Balogh and Pavel Serbajlo in June 2012. They have the backing of leading Silicon Valley investors including Floodgate, SV Angel and Archimedes Labs. The company will operate from Go Daddy’s Silicon Valley office.

USA, Sunnyvale, CA

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Open Air Publishing raises $800,000 in seed financing

July 18, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

Digital publisher Open Air Publishing has closed an $800,000 seed round of financing, including investments from SV Angel, Charles River Ventures, and 500 Startups. The New York City-based startup builds interactive how-to books made for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, each featuring video, slideshows, and other highly tappable content.

Since its launch in May 2011, the company has released four fully digital books for iPad. The funding announcement coincides with the release of all four titles for the iPhone:  Master Your DSLR Camera, Speakeasy Cocktails, The Better Bacon Book, and Holiday Recipes & Party Planning Guide by FOOD52. All have cracked the U.S. top 100 overall rankings on the App Store.

Investors participating in this seed round are: SV Angel, Charles River Ventures, 500 Startups, The Social+Capital Partnership, Richmond Park Partners, David Tisch (BoxGroup), Advancit Capital, DEV (Digital Entertainment Ventures), Graph Ventures, Red Swan, Lars Albright, Sam Stahl, and Josh Mohrer.

“The iOS platform invites a reinvention of the e-book, and Open Air Publishing is building tools and processes to define the publishing/studio hybrid model needed to make true e-book content,” said Jon Feldman, Founder & CEO of Open Air Publishing.  “We’re excited to have this great group of investors and advisors on board as we hit our next phase of growth. We’ve doubled the team to six and plan to have nine new titles out by the end of this year.”

“Our transition into the iPhone market gives us access to a market that is four times the size of the iPad’s,” Feldman said. “This launch will allow us to expand our reach to a larger and more diverse set of readers.”

USA, New York, NY

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