Careem and Shuttl acquihires Commut

Careem, the leading tech platform for the greater Middle East, has acquired Commut, the Hyderabad based mass transportation app for an undisclosed amount. The deal secures the talent and superior technology of Commut, which will be integrated wholly into Careem, and will accelerate Careem expansion into mass transportation through the addition of bus services across its 100 cities.

Founded by six IIT Hyderabad graduates Commut is a tech-driven bus shuttle service that has been operational in Hyderabad since November 2015. Since inception, they have served 750,000 trips within 100+ existing routes in Hyderabad. Backed by UK-Based Shell-Foundation and 50K Ventures, Commut served over 70,000 customers and onboarded 400 driver-partners. Commut local operations including its customers and driver-partners have now been taken over by Shuttl - a shuttle service provider in India.

As Careem continues to expand across its technology platform, the business will continue to acquire and invest in high impact, relevant and value-driven technology businesses and start-ups that can accelerate growth for Careem and can solve complex problems in the greater Middle East region.

Careem is a pioneer in the region’s ‘sharing economy’ – it’s mission is to simplify and improve the lives of people and build a lasting institution that inspires. Established in July 2012, Careem is the region’s only unicorn, operating in more than 100 cities across 14 countries.

Flipkart acquires Upstream Commerce

Flipkart has acquired an Israel based analytics start-up called Upstream Commerce, as India’s largest online retailer looks to help its massive seller base with services such as real-time pricing and product assortment information.

This is Flipkart’s second acquisition in as many months, after the Walmart-controlled e-commerce firm acquired Indian artificial intelligence start-up Liv.ai in August. The latest buyout will also enable Flipkart to have an outpost in Israel, which is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost start-up ecosystems.

Upstream, which counted Israel-based early-stage venture capital firm YL Ventures as its biggest investor prior to the buyout, currently builds cloud-based and automated competitive pricing products and solutions, among other things. With the Upstream acquisition, Flipkart will now have tech and talent presence across Asia, US and Israel, some of the key global hubs for innovation.

Earlier, Flipkart has held talks to buy a stake in Hotstar, Star India’s video streaming service, as part of a broader strategy from Flipkart to bet on video content and attract more Internet consumers and shoppers, without having to build an Amazon Prime Video-like streaming service from scratch.

Adobe to acquire Marketo

Adobe Systems announced that it is acquiring software maker Marketo for $4.75 Bn in a move widely seen as one of that will strengthen its position in the fiercely competitive cloud computing and marketing tech sector.

The maker of image-editing tool Photoshop said in a statement that the deal would bring together Marketo’s B2B-focused platform with the capabilities of Adobe Experience Cloud that include analytics, content, personalization and advertising.

It also comes just months after Adobe acquired e-commerce specialist Magento for $1.68bn, indicating that the company is highly focused on expanding its presence in the fast-growing cloud sector, which is currently dominated by Microsoft, Oracle and Salesforce.

Adobe and Marketo tools will enable businesses to use a data-driven approach to focus sales and marketing activities on the most valuable prospects and customers, deliver cross-channel experiences and acquire more customers through targeted, account-based advertising.

Uber to acquire Dubai ride hailing firm Careem

Uber Technologies Inc. is in discussions to buy its Dubai based rival Careem Networks FZ as the ride hailing giant expands in the Middle East.

A deal with Uber could head off a potential IPO. Careem had held talks with investors earlier this year to raise $500 million, potentially valuing the firm at about $1.5 billion ahead of a possible listing, people familiar with the matter said in May.

The company, whose backers include Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten Inc. and German automaker Daimler AG, was valued at a little more than $1 billion in a 2016 funding round, making it one of the most valuable technology startups in the Middle East.

Careem has more than a million drivers and operates in more than 100 cities in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon, Pakistan, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Turkey, Palestine, Iraq and Sudan, according to its website. The app lets customers book rides on cars, bikes, golf carts, boats and rickshaws as well as schedule deliveries.

Elite SEM Acquires CPC Strategy

Elite SEM has acquired CPC Strategy, the San Diego based agency known for its expertise in retail, ecommerce and specifically the Amazon Channel, where it expects to drive more than half of its revenue in 2018. The combination with CPC Strategy adds critical scale to Elite’s rapidly growing Amazon practice, bolsters the depth of its expertise in search and social and also delivers a powerful technology asset in CPC strategy proprietary CAPx media and bid optimization platform.

CPC Strategy, with a team of over 125 employees, works with both brands and sellers and provides services including strategy and advisory, media planning and placement, creative and content services, and data and analytics. Clients include Pfizer, Reef, and Guthy Renker, The Honest Company, Hallmark, Nestle, Comvita, Riddell, Unilever's Seventh Generation, and Nutrisystem, as well as many Amazon-only sellers.

The combined entity will have approximately 500 performance media specialists, integrated media strategists, and data scientists. Both companies have a deep commitment to creating the best possible work environment, based on meritocracy, resulting in superior client service and retention. The acquisition follows Elite SEM's 'Experts Only' operating model, which maintains and develops specialization around each practice area while bringing a holistic approach to clients through Integrated Media Strategy and Marketing Science.

The acquisition includes CPC Strategy's proprietary Amazon media and bid optimization platform, CAPx, which provides a substantial competitive advantage through both efficiency and efficacy gains, resulting in superior service and performance gains for their clients. While Elite SEM will continue to work with industry partners and third-party technology, this proprietary solution enables strategy and service teams to address market gaps and provide the best platform recommendation for clients.