Yahoo Inc, under the tutelage of their zealous CEO Marissa Mayer just hit 20 on Wednesday. 20 startups/companies all under its wing. Amazing score one can say!
Adding to the long list of startups that Mayer has acquired since in her short span 1 year at office, Yahoo just acquired the app making firm Lexity to boost its acquisition rate by nearly a quarter.
Studying this takeover trend, there are two plausible patterns that emerge. For one, Yahoo dabbles into these bids just for the sake of a erstwhile popular brand that's vacillating now. On the second count are those firms that are vacillating yet have a vast talent pool that now works on Yahoo's payroll. And most importantly, most of these takeovers include mobile app companies that will surely benefit Yahoo in some form, once they are integrated with it.
With ample expenditure budget - almost $4.8 billion , still left to spend in the purse, the Yahoo think tank cannot ceaselessly go on acquiring firms. The need of the hour is to have a tactical stitch up of the existing acquisitions and revamping their roles to suit Yahoo's own re-development plans.
Interestingly, the pattern as we stated is strongly based on mobile app technology. The major advantage for Yahoo lies in using these platforms to chart out its own advertising model for a bigger turnover to make up for the cost levied on these acquisitions within the coming financial year. How that actually materializes is now the task of the "talent pool" that Mayer is fast building up.
Here's a run down list of the Yahoo boss's takeover gigs in the past one year:
1. Stamped
Bought at less than $6 million earlier this year, this iPhone app is designed track and share things your friend like such as restaurants, books, films and other interests.
2. OnTheAir
Like Stamped, this video-conversation platform was purchased at the tune of $6 million with a five member team joining Yahoo's San Francisco office
3. Snip.it
A boomarking tool, Snip.it can be used by web users to collect and share data from across the web. It was acquired at the tune of $10 million.
4. Alike
This mobile app is similar to a tracking tool device that keeps tab of venues in the same vicinity as your friends based on shared likes and tastes. The app shut down and absorbed a working team in their Sunnyvale office.
5. Jybe
A personal recommendation app that helps user accounts to discover the best eat-out places. The former employees have been inducted to the Yahoo team as targeting and product personalization personnel.
6. Summly
A real pricey buy, this news feeding app that summarizes stories on your iPhone device, was bought at $30 million. In fact , the app's 17 year old founder also joined the Yahoo team at New York.
7. Astrid
A little known app bought undercover, it is an e-mail organizer tool available on all known operating systems.
8. MileWise
A simple check-in app that allows users to keep track of flight schedules, routes and air miles they can cover. The ex-team of this firm is now operating Yahoo's mobile office at NYC.
9. GoPollGo
Now this is an interesting purchase Yahoo could very much use. An analytic app that allows polls to be conducted on the web , it is easily integrated with Facebook and Twitter.
10. Loki Studios
It is a small time fresh startup that was acquired to add to Yahoo's persoanlized gaming app category.
11. Tumblr
This was literally the purchase of the year that was much talked about in the social media sites. A popular blogging site with 300 million visitor record, Tumblr still continues to function autonomously. Yahoo could well use it to expand its business strategies by enmeshing new compatible features. This social media platform was bought at a relatively lesser sum - $1.1 billion, a comparatively easy deal for Madam Mayer.
12. PlayerScale
The price of this developer's tool was not revealed by the Yahoo team. However, the app is a useful addition in the arsenal as it allows developers to shape out game compatibility for various platforms like a points scale leaderboard and points table etc.
13. GhostBird Software
With the prevalence of video marketing and graphics becoming essential in the niche, this mobile photo app is a good pick. While the app stands annulled as of now, the former team is working out with Yahoo's Flickr management.
14. Rondee
A free video calling app, that is not much known publicly, is now working with Yahoo's small business development team.
15. Bignoggins
This was a purchase that was eventually fitted into Yahoo's Fantasy Sports' management keeping in view the app's past history.
16. Qwiki
Like Tumblr, this is still a autonomous app that allows users to create and share short movie clips on their iPhone. It is estimated to have been priced somewhere at $45 to $50 million.
17. Xobni
Bought at an reasonable $40 million , this e-mail extension app is of real value for Yahoo Mail's much needed revamp.
18. Ztelic
The startup is a social data analysis firm that is joining up Yahoo's R&D team at its Beijing office shortly.
19. Admovate
A much needed tool for Yahoo's physical reach to the customers, this is a tech firm with its base in mobile ad targeting.
20. Lexity
Like its namesake, the app is all set to boost the small businesses work more efficiently. Like Tumblr and Qwiki, it continues to function despite the takeover.
It is rather ambiguous at this stage to state where Marissa Mayer's acquisition drive is going. However the purchases are rather are prudent no doubt but the results are yet to show up. The primary goal now is to makeover Yahoo's image in the industry again. The company has been in the midst of rather unfortunate events over the past year and almost lapsing out of public memory. We hope that these takeovers help in making Yahoo's much needed comeback so as to compete on a equal footing with the likes of Facebook, Twitter etc.
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