Adobe acquires Sayspring

Adobe has acquired Sayspring, a startup that helps developer’s prototype and build the voice interfaces for their Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant Apps. All of Sayspring’s services are now available for free — but there is a catch. If you want to sign up for the service now, you’ll need an invite.

Founded in 2017, New-York based Sayspring has technology that makes it easy to design voice applications without coding. The popularity of voice assistants and smart speakers continues to grow. Already, about half of U.S. adults use voice assistants and voice will be a part of every digital interaction within a few years.

Adobe has been working to place voice commands in many of its cloud applications — like Photoshop and the Adobe Marketing Cloud — since the launch of its primary AI service, Sensei, more than a year ago. More than 100 features or services have been rolled out for Sensei since it was introduced in fall 2016, including the ability to track the performance of voice apps and services with Adobe Analytics.

Voicegram, which let Sayspring user’s record and share their conversations with Alexa, has been shut down. The Audio Converter, which used to be a standalone service, will be made part of the Sayspring platform.

Myntra acquires Witworks

Myntra has bought Bengaluru based startup Witworks, a maker of wearable devices, for an undisclosed amount, as the Flipkart owned online fashion retail firm looks to diversify and launch new categories, even as it invests heavily on newer technologies such as Artificial Intelligence.

The latest acquisition effectively allows Myntra to enter the wearable business, even as the retailer is looking to go beyond core fashion and grow sales in categories such as personal care, jewelry and home accessories. In the past five years, Myntra has made at least half a dozen acquisitions, most notably that of smaller rival Jabong, which it bought as part of a cut-price deal of $70 million.

The latest acquisition is an acqui-hire of sorts for Myntra, with the entire team of Witworks being absorbed into Myntra Innovation Labs. In 2016, Witworks launched its flagship device, Blink Watch, which runs on a voice-based platform. Myntra said the latest acquisition will allow the retailer to develop wearable products for its in-house brands.

Myntra has a number of in-house brands or private labels, such as Roadster, Dressberry, Anouk and actor Hrithik Roshan’s HRX brand. Myntra has switched its focus to using its resources to expanding sales faster from trying to turn profitable, while also launching a digital TV channel called Myntra TV on YouTube.

Infosys to acquire WongDoody

IT services firm Infosys Ltd will acquire WongDoody Holding Co., a US based digital creative and consumer insights agency, for a total consideration of up to $75 Million. The move would strengthen the company’s creative, branding and customer experience capabilities.

Previously, Infosys had announced the acquisition of Brilliant Basics, a London-based digital design and customer experience innovator that works with clients across Europe and Middle East. The addition of WongDoody strengthens Infosys’ ability to fulfill the needs of global clients for comprehensive digital transformation solutions required to meet customer demand for next-generation, enhanced customer experiences.

Founded in 1993, WongDoody is headquartered in Seattle and has an office in Los Angeles. It has clients across industries like telecommunications, consumer electronics, healthcare and consumer packaged goods. WongDoody’s expertise in driving innovative creative solutions is already yielding significant results in Infosys’ initial collaborations with clients, and this acquisition will further enhance the company’s capabilities in this space.

Uber acquires Jump

Uber has acquired bike sharing start-up JUMP for an undisclosed amount of money. JUMP was in talks with Uber as well as with investors regarding a potential fundraising round involving Sequoia Capital Mike Moritz. JUMP’s decision to sell to Uber came down to the ability to realize the bike-share company’s vision at a large scale and quickly.

JUMP is best known for operating dockless, pedal-assist bikes. JUMP’s bikes can be legally locked to bike parking racks or the “furniture zone” of sidewalks, which is where you see things like light poles, benches and utility poles. The bikes also come with integrated locks to secure the bikes. Uber’s acquisition of JUMP is not too surprising. In January, Uber partnered with JUMP to launch Uber Bike, which lets Uber riders’ book, JUMP bikes via the Uber app.

Meanwhile, Uber’s international competitors have made similar moves. India-based ride-hailing startup expanded into bicycles in December. Called Ola Pedal, the service is available on a handful of university campuses in India. Then there’s Southeast Asia’s Grab and China’s Didi, which both launched their respective bike-share services this year. Both Didi and Grab have also invested directly in bike-sharing startups Ofo and OBike, respectively.

E-bikes, of course, are not the only way to get around town these days. This year, we’ve seen a number of startups launch electric scooters. While San Francisco is trying to figure out how to regulate them, people are watching closely to see what comes next.

Ola Buys Ridlr

India’s largest cab-hailing firm Ola has bought transportation information provider Ridlr, as it looks to expand its fledgling public transportation business that has become an important battlefront in its fight with arch-rival Uber.

Ola started out as a private cab aggregator in 2011, but it has since added auto rickshaws and yellow taxis. After a slow start, Ola’s auto rickshaw business has become a differentiator for the company against Uber over the past year. With the acquisition of Ridlr, Ola plans to add bus, metro and train ticket bookings on its platform and try and become a hub of urban transportation for customers.

The move to expand its public transportation business is one of Ola’s most ambitious efforts. Cab rides comprise a minuscule part of urban transportation. If Ola can build an early, meaningful lead in bus and train bookings, it will become difficult for Uber to catch up with its local rival. Ola and Uber, both of which count Japan’s SoftBank Group as their largest shareholder, have been locked in an expensive market-share battle.

Since starting out in 2012, Mumbai-based Ridlr had raised $7-8 million in capital. Its last funding round was in July 2016 when Times Internet, Matrix Partners and Qualcomm Ventures invested $6 million in the firm. Ridlr provides data on bus and train routes and prices in 19 cities and allows users to book tickets for public transportation services. It also provides real-time traffic information.