Microsoft acquires PromoteIQ

Microsoft scooped up New York-based PromoteIQ, a startup that helps retailers build digital advertising and e-commerce offerings for an undisclosed amount.

PromoteIQ brings with it a roster of big-name customers, including Kroger, Kohl’s and Overstock.com. The start-up will continue to operate under its name and will become a division of Microsoft Advertising.

PromoteIQ noted that the retail landscape is changing, and Microsoft brings “a humble, thoughtful approach to building out the defining operating system to power the future of commerce. PromoteIQ has pioneered the private marketplace approach to digital vendor marketing. PromoteIQ technology strategically complements Microsoft’s current retail advertising offerings.

Microsoft earlier this year separated its advertising division from the search engine Bing, to signify that the organization has ambitions beyond search. The change came almost a year after the debut of Microsoft Audience Network, a program that uses artificial intelligence and data from Microsoft services including Bing, MSN, Outlook, Skype and LinkedIn to help advertisers target native ads to specific audiences based on their online activities.

Microsoft acquires Beam

Microsoft has acquired Beam; a Seattle based interactive game streaming service that lets viewers play along with streamers as they watch. Beam’s model takes the mostly passive interaction that streaming fans may be used to form services like Twitch and YouTube adds the ability for viewers to interact with the streamer via crowdsourced controls.

Players interacting through Beam can direct the play of the person streaming, doing things like setting which weapon load out they take into battle for multiplayer shooters. Visual controls provide viewers the ability to help players pick quests, and you can even assign challenges that alter the gameplay considerably from what you’d get via a typical play through.

Microsoft Beam acquisition is an attempt to strengthen company Xbox gaming service. Microsoft says it is bringing Beam interactive technology into the Xbox family to make Xbox Live more Social and fun. Beam interactive streaming platform can be enabled with any game. With Minecraft for instance, Beam users can not only see their favorite streamer but can also play along with them.

Microsoft has been steadily acquiring startups and big name tech organization in order to strengthen some of its core services. Earlier this year, Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for a record $26 Billon in order to better connect with professionals and expand its productivity services. With Beam, Microsoft would try to strengthen its core Xbox Live service while Beam will gain resources to build its product into a bigger game streaming platform.

Microsoft to buy LinkedIn for $26.2 Billion

Microsoft Corp. agreed to buy LinkedIn Corp for $26.2 Billion in its biggest ever deal, combining the software giant fast growing cloud service business with an online network of 433 million professionals. The offer of $196 per share represents a premium of 49.5% to LinkedIn Friday closing price.

Microsoft plans to speed-up monetization of LinkedIn by growing individual and organization subscriptions as well as targeted advertising. Despite the rich premium paid by Microsoft, LinkedIn is selling for well below its peak of more than $270 per share in 2015, but a weak forecast earlier this year sent its shares tumbling and slowing online ad revenue. LinkedIn went public in 2011 at $45.

LinkedIn is the world’s largest and most valuable professional network and continues to build a strong and growing business. Over the past year, the company has launched a new version of its mobile app that has led to increased member engagement, enhanced the LinkedIn newsfeed to deliver better business insights, acquired a leading online learning platform called Lynda.com to enter a new market and rolled out a new version of its recruiter product to its enterprise customers. 

LinkedIn bought Lynda.com

Lynda.com is a privately held online education company offering thousands of video courses in software, creative, and business skills. It was founded in 1995. The company produces video tutorials taught by industry experts. Members have unlimited access to watch the videos, which are primarily educational. It has more than 500 employees worldwide, and offers instruction in German, French, and Spanish through its branded division, video2brain.

The career social network LinkedIn bought Lynda.com in a cash stock deal valued at $1.5 Million. Mission of both the companies is equally aligned. When integrated with the hundreds of Millions of members and millions of jobs on LinkedIn, Lynda.com can change the way in which people connect to opportunity. The acquisition combines 52 percent cash payout and 48 percent stock.

LinkedIn is the world’s largest online professional network, and with more than four million members, 267k video tutorials, and 6300 courses. LinkedIn has reported revenue growth of nearly 50 percent in each of the last three quarters, helped by rapid expansion in international markets such as China. This is the largest deal for LinkedIn in 12 years. LinkedIn generated $2.2 Billion in sales last year. Lynda.com made more than $150 Million in revenue last year and has turned a profit since 1997. 

Rocket's Indian Firms expanding Globally

Rocket Internet is one of the world largest e-commerce venture capital firms. Samwer Brothers started it in 2007 in Germany. The founders gained visibility through successful investments in eBay, Groupon, Facebook, Jabong, LinkedIn, and Zynga. The company business model is to find successful internet ventures from other countries and replicate them in emerging markets.

Rocket Internet operates in more than 50 countries and has more than 75 ventures such as Zolando in Germany; Lamoda in Russia, Zalora in South East Asia, Iconic in Australia, global food delivery sites Foodpanda, and property listing sites Lamudi and Carmudi. In India, Rocket Internet operates Jabong and Printvenue. Rocket Internet wants to be world largest e-commerce platform outside the U.S and China. By the end of this year, Rocket Internet Group may close its initial public offering. It would be second e-commerce firm IPO this year, after Alibaba.

One of the Indian E-commerce firms Printvenue plans to start operations in Australia with a team of marketing, content, and sourcing. There is no competitive environment in Australia for the company. It will soon be seen in Asia-Pacific Region such as South East and Middle East too. Over the next four five years, Printvenue plans to venture into Europe, and Latin America. Printvenue is already operating in Singapore with a small team.

Earlier this month, German venture capital group decided to take online fashion retailer Jabong.com to a global platform by merging it with four other such businesses in Latin America, Russia, Middle East, South East Asia, and Australia. Jabong has also opened an office in London where a team of 15-20 people will design its private label. These steps of Rocket Internet taking portfolio companies global were always on its agenda and these are linked to upcoming IPO.

Its global online food-ordering firm, Foodpanda is continuously expanding into developing markets. Foodpanda is present in more than 45 countries across Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Latin America. After Jack Ma Alibaba, soon people will see Billionaires from Germany and Rocket Internet world largest e-commerce venture capitalist firm.