Deals done this past week


16 Apr 2012

An overview of the week in deals in the Irish and global technology sector.

Facebook has acquired Instagram for US$1bn

Popular photo-sharing app Instagram has been acquired by Facebook for about US$1bn. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the news in a post on Facebook.

Instagram, a social network in its own right, allows users to share and stylise photos. It has attracted more than 30m iOS registered users.

In a post on Facebook, Zuckerberg wrote that the plan is to allow Instagram to continue independently and the fact that it integrates with so many other social networks is, in fact, a bonus.

“For years, we’ve focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we’ll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests,” Zuckerberg wrote.

Accenture completes acquisition of Neo Metrics Analytics S.L.

Global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company Accenture has wrapped up its acquisition of Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., a consulting firm specialising in optimisation and predictive analytics.

The acquisition will add innovative analytics assets to Accenture’s existing portfolio, including an advanced modeller solution, which creates industrialised, accurate analytical models to help clients rapidly predict customer behaviour, and new social network analysis capabilities to enable clients to more effectively target key influencers in the customer community.

The acquisition will also enhance Accenture’s analytical models and techniques for fraud management, quality management, pricing optimisation and demand forecasting.

Citrix acquires cloud productivity player Podio

Enterprise software giant Citrix has bought cloud collaborative work platform player Podio for an undisclosed sum. Danish firm Podio allows workers to collaborate on various projects in a social network-style setting.

Podio also integrates with popular cloud-based platforms, such as Dropbox, Evernote, Google Apps, Google Docs, Instapaper and Zendesk.

Citrix plans to offer Podio as part of its GoTo cloud services portfolio.

“This acquisition represents an exciting new chapter in our collaboration business. Podio extends our ability to provide a simple, secure and ‘works for everyone’ collaborative work platform in this post-PC era,” said Brett Caine, SVP and GM for Citrix Online Services Division.

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