Google acquires Kaggle

Technology giant Google has announced the acquisition of Kaggle, a start-up that hosts a number of data scientists, for an undisclosed amount at the Cloud Next 2017 conference. Founded in 2010, Kaggle is home to the world’s largest community of data scientists and machine learning enthusiasts.

More than 8 Lakh data experts use Kaggle to explore, analyze and understand the latest updates in machine learning and data analytics. Kaggle and Google Cloud will continue to support machine learning and deployment services while offering the community the ability to store and query large datasets.

Google must lower the barriers of entry to AI and make it available to the largest community of developers, users and enterprises so that they can apply it to their own unique needs. Making Google Cloud Technology available to Kaggle community will allow us to offer access to powerful infrastructure, scalable training and deployment services and the ability to store and query large data sets.

Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, the two public clouds that are bigger than Google cloud, also offer data sciences services. Google cloud already provides Cloud Machine Learning  Engine, among other managed services for working on data.

Tech Mahindra to buy CJS Solutions Group

Software services firm Tech Mahindra Ltd has signed a definitive agreement to acquire CJS Solutions Group LLC; a US based healthcare information technology consulting company that does business as the HCI Group. The deal values CJS Solutions at an enterprise value of $110 Million.

The HCI Group works with global Tier-I healthcare service providers, primarily in the US and UK. It focuses on providing end-to-end implementation of electronic health record (EHR) and electronic medical record (EMR) software, training and support services. The company also has a presence in Europe, West Asia and Asia-Pacific and employs more than 500 professionals globally.

Healthcare and Life Sciences has been one of the focus areas for Tech Mahindra globally and the acquisition will help in consolidating its position. Healthcare is one of the few sectors globally that is driving adoption of digital technologies. The acquisition will not only position Tech Mahindra as a significant player in the healthcare provider space, but will also provide an opportunity to go deeper in the space via EMR implementation and surrounding services.

In May 2016, Tech Mahindra announced it will acquire UK based Target Group in a deal worth around £120 Million to strengthen its presence in the banking and financial services space. In June, it said it had acquired UK based digital transformation firm BIO Agency Ltd.

CureFit buys Kristys Kitchen

Bangalore based healthcare and fitness start-up CureFit has acquired online health food delivery company, Kristys Kitchen for an undisclosed amount of cash and stock deal. CureFit Healthcare Pvt. Ltd provides services such as fitness advice and medicine deliveries.

Kristys Kitchen is in the segment of preparing and delivery of International healthy food cuisines. Founded in September 2016, the company has a kitchen in Bangalore and claims to be operationally cash positive and servicing over 250 orders a day. Backed by Kalaari Capital, Accel Partners and IDG Ventures, the company had raised $15 Million in Series-A round of funding last year in July. Later in August, CureFit acquired fitness centre brand Cult for $3 Million.

CureFit plans to offer it’s three main planned services – health food subscriptions, Cult Fitness subscriptions and mental wellness offering, focusing on prevention side of healthcare. Healthcare can be broadly divided into prevention and cure. Prevention has four important parts: eating healthy, active lifestyle, mental wellness, regular health check-ups. CureFit will be launching fitness, mental wellness—DIY (do-it-yourself) packs of yoga and meditation and food.

Havells to acquire durable business of Lloyd Electric

The electrical goods company Havells will acquire consumer durable business of Lloyd Electric & Engineering for about Rs 1,600 cr. The acquisition is proposed to be executed at an enterprise value of Rs 1,600 cr. on a debt free, cash free basis subject to closing adjustments.

This acquisition when completed will mark Havells foray into consumer durables industry. The transaction is subject to confirmatory due diligence and is expected to close in next 8 weeks. The company plans to finance the transaction through a mix of debt and internal accruals. The proposed acquisition is in line with Havells objective of deeper into homes, driving domestic expansion and owning a brand and distribution oriented asset.

The consumer business of Lloyd is engaged in sourcing, assembling, marketing and distribution of consumer durables including air-conditioners, TVs, washing machines and other household appliances. Havells will acquire the consumer business infrastructure, people, distribution network including and not limited to absolute, exclusive ownership and right to all intellectual property of Lloyd, Logo, Trademark, goodwill and attendant rights.

Lloyd which is among the top 3 brands in air-conditioner category has expanded into TVs and washing machines as well. Through this acquisition, Havells would make a foray into Consumer durables industry currently estimated at $15 Billion and growing in double digits with low penetration levels, increasing urbanization, aspirational and expanding middle class.

Nuance Communications acquires mCarbon Tech

Nasdaq listed voice and speech recognition company Nuance Communications has acquired Noida based mobile value add services venture mCarbon Tech Innovations in a cash and stock transaction, estimated at about $36 Million.

The deal is the latest example of consolidation taking place in the Indian startup ecosystem, which is expected to see an increasing number of buyouts over the next 12 months, even as risk capital investors continue to realign their portfolios, and search for exits. Founded in 2008, mCarbon Tech Innovations, which started off focusing on core network value add services, provides innovative revenue uplift and customer value management products for telecom operators.

The company also operates in Bangladesh, Middle East and African regions, and counts Private Equity Group, an investment arm of JP Morgan among its investors. One of the early backers of the eight year old company was venture capital firm Canaan Partners. The company, which had earlier acquired advanced search recognition technology venture Dragon System, competes with the likes of Google, IBM and Microsoft, which have also sunk billions of dollars in R&D, as they look to establish their dominance in the space.

Ingenico group buys TechProcess

Ingenico group of France will buy 100% stake in TechProcess Payment services which owns electronic payments platform Billjunction. Ingenico has shelled out approximately Rs600 cr. for the acquisition of TechProcess. Avendus Capital was the advisor to this transaction.

Ingenico is present in the online payments business through its ePayments entity EBS, and has a 50% market share of credit card swipe machines installed in the country. Based on its already leading position in terminal market, Ingenico Group is making, with the acquisition of TechProcess, a major step in India, the fastest growing country in Asia.

Founded in 2000, Mumbai-based TechProcess is an online and mobile payment services provider with approximately 600 employees across 40 locations. It was originally incubated by ICICI Venture and now has investors such as Greylock Partners, Battery Ventures, Nokia Growth Partners and W Capital Partners. TechProcess offers products and solutions in online payments gateway, National Automated Clearing House, bill payments and mobile payments.

In November, TechProcess partnered with NumberMall, an app-based payments platform for small merchants, in a deal that will enable 30,000 kirana shops to accept cashless payments. TechProcess also has a payment wallet Paynimo. In India, around 90% of the purchases are done in cash at present. However, electronic payments are expected to increase significantly in the coming years, given the recent government initiatives.

Keysight Technologies to buy Ixia

Keysight Technologies Inc. a provider of software and equipment to the electronics industry would buy US data technology company Ixia for about $1.6 Billion, net of cash.

Ixia makes equipment that monitors and tests networks so enterprise customers can have their data travel smoothly without bottlenecks. Its customers include the world’s No. 1 networking gear maker, Cisco Systems Inc. The deal comes as the increasing volume of data traffic flowing through social media, smartphones and cloud computing tests the resilience and integrity of networks, making Ixia’s equipment and applications more popular with its clients and coveted by its peers.

The combination of Keysight and Ixia brings together two highly complementary companies to create an innovative force in leading-edge technologies that spans electronic design, device and network validation, and application and security performance. Ixia has a broad IP portfolio that encompasses network communications, visibility, application and security technologies with solutions deeply rooted in software.

Additionally, Ixia’s IP includes extensive networking and wireless protocols that will extend Keysight’s position in wireless communications and create a unique combination of Layer 1 through 7 end-to-end solutions that address fast-growing segments of the 5G communications design and test ecosystem.

Cisco to buy AppDynamics

Cisco Systems Inc. has agreed to buy AppDynamics, a US technology firm for $3.7 Billion. AppDynamics was to go public and was expected to be valued at around $1.9 billion, before it was bagged by Cisco at almost double the valuation. 

This makes it one of its largest deals in recent years as Cisco searches for growth beyond its core networking business. This is Cisco's largest acquisition since it bought security company Sourcefire for $2.7 billion in 2013. Legacy technology players like Cisco have been trying to shift their strategy to stay ahead of technology developments, such as the rise of cloud computing, that could otherwise threaten their core businesses.

AppDynamics makes software that manages and analyses applications and it has about 2,000 paying customers, including NASDAQ Inc. Nike Inc. and its new owner, Cisco. AppDynamics, a company that helps organizations monitor applications and find meaning in data, a decade ago. In the nine years since, AppDynamics grew from that initial dream to a successful technology company that today is a strategic software vendor for the world’s largest enterprises. AppDynamics will become part of Cisco's Internet of Things and Applications Unit. Cisco's last large acquisition, Jasper, is also part of that unit.

BookMyShow acquires MastiTickets

BookMyShow had acquired Hyderabad based online ticketing platform MastiTickets for an undisclosed amount. As a part of the deal, MastiTickets will transfer all of its key assets, along with existing cinema partnerships, to BookMyShow.

MastiTickets was founded in late 2014. As an online entertainment ticketing platform, it allows users to book tickets for movies through its website, mobile app and mobile site. The platform soon grew to establish a strong presence in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and currently works with over 120 cinemas. With this acquisition, BookMyShow aims to further consolidate its position and strengthen its footprint.

BookMyShow (Bigtree Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.) was founded in Mumbai in 1999 and launched in 2007. With a reach across 400 towns and cities in India, BookMyShow allows users to book tickets for movies, plays, sports and live events through its website, mobile app and mobile site. While BookMyShow is a leader in the ticket booking space in India, it may have to tread cautiously in 2017 as 'cord cutting' has gained popularity in the country, with more customers opting for home-based entertainment solutions like Netflix and the more recently launched Amazon Prime Video.

While this is BookMyShow first acquisition in 2017, the company has acquired a few other startups in the past, such as Chennai-based online ticketing player TicketGreen in 2013. This was followed by the purchase of a majority stake in Bengaluru-based social media analytics startup Eventifier in 2015 and then the acquisition of Chennai-based fan relationship management (FRM) solutions provider Fantain Sports Pvt. Ltd. in 2016.

Alibaba Pictures to buy TicketNew

Alibaba Pictures, the movie and TV Content business controlled by the Chinese e-commerce giant, is in talks to buy a majority stake in Chennai based Orbgen Technologies Pvt. Ltd, which operates ticket booking platform TicketNew.

TicketNew, founded in 2008, who goes by only one name, charges a convenience fee from users for booking tickets. It also gets a small fee from theatre owners for software installation and app development. Alibaba Pictures was earlier known as ChinaVision Media Group Ltd. Alibaba acquired a majority stake in ChinaVision in March 2014 for $804 million. In China, Alibaba Pictures manages its ticketing business through subsidiary Tao Piao Piao.

The company has invested in Hollywood movies such as Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Star Trek Beyond. In October, Alibaba Pictures picked up a minority stake in celebrated Hollywood director Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners, with an aim to co-produce and finance films for both global and Chinese audiences. Alibaba Picture’s entry could change the dynamics of ticketing, which is currently dominated by BookMyShow, the most funded internet company in this space.

TicketNew is a technology-led entertainment services provider, integrating movie theatres, film distributors, production houses, events and sports with consumers. TicketNew customer base comprises of ticket brokers, venue managers, affiliate marketers, ticket retail customers, sports professionals, concert and event promoters, and software vendors, among others. TicketNew Box Office Suite is installed in more than 1,000 screens in over 10 countries, covering a wide range from single-screen independent theatres to some of the largest cinema chains in the world.

Freshdesk acquired Pipemonk

Freshdesk, a cloud based customer service software provider, acquired Pipemonk, a data integration platform that works on the software as-a-service model and allows companies to synchronize and move data among multiple cloud apps quickly and easily. For Freshdesk, the Bengaluru based company is the seventh acquisition in 16 months.

Pipemonk serves more than 400 clients globally. Pipemonk cloud based data Integration platform enables small businesses to automate their data flow across cloud business solutions. When organizations move their current applications to cloud, they often face issues of data getting fragmentation across applications. Pipemonk's solution helps a smooth transition of apps over cloud. 

At Freshdesk, the Pipemonk team will work on strengthening integrations between the Freshdesk suites of products as well as expand third party integrations for each of the Freshdesk products, thus cutting down the need for multiple logins, multiple amounts of data entry, and allowing instant and seamless access to dynamic data across products.

Snapchat to acquire Cimagine

Messaging app Snapchat is buying Israeli augmented reality start-up Cimagine media for an estimated $30-40 Million, making Snapchat first acquisition in Israel. Cimagine developed true marker less augmented reality technology that allows users to virtually place furniture and appliances they wish to purchase in the space of their home, on their mobile devices, at the click of a button.

Cimagine will become Snapchat research and development centre in Israel and is expected to rapidly expand its workforce from its current 20 employees. The company’s highly skilled team is probably the main reason for the acquisition, rather than its technology. The company was founded in 2012 and has raised a few million dollars. Venice, California based Snapchat is expected to go public as early as March with a valuation of as much as $25 Billion.

Cimagine specializes in computer vision, real-time image processing, mobile development, international marketing, and more. All of these are obviously compelling for Snap, whose app Snapchat is heavily reliant on augmented reality and the like. But what Cimagine brings to the table is a focus on commerce and as Snap looks towards going public perhaps some time next year, it’s quite possible that doing facilitating shopping through Snapchat might open up additional revenue opportunities.

Cimagine already has partnerships with Shop Direct, John Lewis, and Coca-Cola and wants to help retailers tap into the potential of augmented reality. So Snap may want to eventually strike partnerships with big box retailers and department stores to accelerate engagement and time spent on site. Merchants and store owners may want additional advertising opportunities so the potential of what Cimagine’s technology and team could bring to bear may be enticing.

Sun Pharma to acquire Novartis cancer drug Odomzo

India’s largest drug maker Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd has inked a pact with Switzerland based Novartis AG to acquire the latter branded cancer drug Odomzo for an upfront payment of $175 Million.

Under the agreement, Sun Pharma will get global marketing rights for the product and Novartis will receive certain additional milestone payments. Odomzo is a hedgehog pathway inhibitor indicated for the treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) that recurs following a surgery or a radiation therapy, or for patients who are not candidates for surgery or radiation therapy.

Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common form of skin cancer globally. BCC accounts for approximately 80% of non-melanoma skin cancers, accounting for over 2 million cases in the US alone. BCC consists of abnormal, uncontrolled growths or lesions that arise in the skin’s basal cells, which line the outermost layer of the skin.

Odomzo has marketing approval in over 30 countries globally including the US, Europe and Australia. Odomzo was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in July 2015. Approximately, 70% of the prescribers are dermatologists and the rest are oncologists for this class of drug. Sun Pharma is making significant investments, organically as well as through acquisitions, to build a pipeline of branded products, specialty drugs and complex generics to boost growth.

ScoopWhoop Acquires Touchfone Technologies

Delhi based Internet media and news startup, ScoopWhoop Media has acquired Touchfone Technologies for an undisclosed amount in a cash and stock deal. The buyout is the first for the Kalaari Capital backed ScoopWhoop, which was founded in 2013.

Touchfone Technologies founded in 2010 and backed by Blume Ventures, enables video delivery and ad targeting across devices and networks. It counts Star, Asianet, Disney and Big Flix among its clients. Touchfone Technologies, video streaming product Strmeasy enables Video streaming services on 2G and Edge Speeds, which will help ScoopWhoop, target this market. In addition to video streaming services, the company will focus on improving personalization and brand revenue opportunities through targeted advertising.

Strmeasy is a video delivery platform that streams videos in low bandwidths. It offers end-to-end video solution which helps businesses manage and deliver videos with the highest quality irrespective of the device or network the user is on. With this acquisition of Strmeasy, ScoopWhoop will focus on boosting the advertising offerings, with the help of targeted video ads which have the highest Cost per Mile (CPM) rates in display advertising.

This development will also establish its presence in Bengaluru, in addition to the Delhi and Mumbai. Earlier in November 2015, ScoopWhoop had raised $4 Million, in a funding round, from Kalaari Capital. Other startups in the space include PopXO, MissMalini and LBB etc.

Cognizant to acquire Adaptra

Cognizant has entered into an agreement to acquire Australia based consulting, business transformation and service provider Adaptra, for an undisclosed sum. Sydney-headquartered Adaptra, established in 1998, works with five of the top 10 insurers in Australia and New Zealand.

Adaptra specializes in consulting, programme management and implementation of core platforms such as Guidewire to enable insurance companies to drive improvements across areas like underwriting and policy administration. The acquisition would further strengthen Cognizant insurance, business transformation and platform capabilities.

The acquisition (by Cognizant) would position Adaptra for new growth opportunities across technologies and industries. Cognizant’s global experience, deep digital capabilities and entrepreneurial culture will enable Adaptra to deliver broader transformational solutions. Cognizant has over 100 development centres, globally and employs about 2.25 lakh people.

Practo buys Enlightiks

Healthcare services platform Practo Technologies Pvt. Ltd, has acquired Enlightiks Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd, a healthcare analytics solutions firm, in a cash and stock deal.

Established in 2012, with offices in Bengaluru and Charlotte in the US, Enlightiks owns a predictive clinical and computational platform called Querent and uses big data analytics to provide business intelligence to healthcare providers. Last year, Practo acquired Insta Health Solutions and Qikwell Technologies Pvt. Ltd. With this portfolio of software products, it completes the suite for healthcare providers.

Practo has been among the most active buyers among large Indian start-ups. Apart from Enlightiks, Qikwell and Insta, it acquired FitHo, a fitness management platform and product outsourcing firm Genii. Its acquisitions, especially Qikwell and Insta, have not only helped the company enter the enterprise segment—hospitals and clinics—but also opened additional revenue streams for the company.

Enlightiks deploys machine learning and deep learning to service more than 250 hospitals and clinics, which predominantly use its business intelligence service, while some of the clients use predictive analytics to augment revenue and streamline operations. Practo currently claims to aggregate 2 lakh doctors, 10,000 hospitals, 8,000 diagnostic centres and 4,000 wellness and fitness centres in India, Brazil, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Baxter to acquire Claris Injectables

In one of the biggest deals involving a domestic pharma major, US based Baxter International Inc. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Claris Injectables, a wholly owned subsidiary of Claris Lifesciences, for approximately $625 Million (Rs. 4,237 crore).

Claris Injectables will add proven capabilities in production of essential generic injectable medicines, such as anesthesia and analgesics, renal, anti-infective and critical care in a variety of presentations including bags, vials and ampoules. The Claris Injectables acquisition will expand Baxter’s presence in the fast growing, global generic injectable pharmaceuticals space and accelerate growth trajectory with high-value, essential medicines that will benefit patients worldwide.

The capabilities gained with Claris Injectables will augment and complement the company’s differentiated technologies, expertise and extensive presence in the hospital channel to create a pathway for Baxter to become a global leader in generic Injectables. In 2016, Claris Injectables is expected to deliver annual global revenues in excess of $100 million. Global revenues for Claris Injectables business have increased by double-digits annually over the last several years driven by new product launches and geographic expansion.

1mg acquires MediAngels

Online pharmacy and digital healthcare venture 1mg today acquired MediAngels, the platform for super specialty consultations and corporate healthcare. The terms of the deal were undisclosed. This is the second acquisition for 1mg this year, in July, the Sequoia backed company acquired Medd, a diagnostics and imaging tests marketplace.

Earlier this year, 1mg had raised its Series B funding of Rs 100 crore in a round led by Maverick Capital Ventures and additional funding from HBM Healthcare Investments. MediAngels was meant to bring topmost super specialist doctors with everyone reach using technology. With more than 450 super specialist doctors across 93 specialists, MediAngels has seen several cases in cardiology, cancers, neurosurgery, orthopedics and pediatrics subspecialties, witnessing traction from both metros and tier II cities.

MediAngels was used extensively by enterprises for second opinions for auditing and understanding healthcare needs. A recent collaborative study by MediAngels and a major private health insurer for knee replacement surgeries across India found that 18 percent of the knee replacements were either not needed or could have been dealt with before surgery became the only option left. In such cases, the patient is happy avoiding the pain of surgery and the enterprise as a payer saves money. The company already has the backing of most top insurers and several corporates, who have enrolled for the service for second opinions and employee health benefits.

With its entry into the online doctor consultations, e-pharmacy and diagnostics space, 1mg will now have to compete with a mix of different players, one of the prominent ones being Sequoia-backed Practo. The e-pharmacy space is already crowded with players like Netmeds, mChemist, Medd, DeliMedi, CareOnGo and MediDali. With its acquisition of Medd, the team forayed into the diagnostics segment, and now, with MediAngels, the team is aggressively looking to push into the B2B segment with players like Health Assure and MAR Plus.

Delivery Hero acquires Foodpanda

Berlin based online Food takeaway service Delivery Hero, one of Europe’s biggest start-ups will acquire competitor Foodpanda, a sign further consolidation to fend of new competition in Europe’s sought after food delivery business. The acquisition brings together two top food delivery startups based in Germany.

After this acquisition, the combined group is expected to process over 20 Million orders per month across 47 countries. Delivery Hero currently serves across 33 countries and Foodpanda in 22 countries. With this deal, Rocket Internet stake in Delivery Hero will grow up to 37.7%. The acquisition of Foodpanda will enable Delivery Hero to consolidate its market leadership in the Middle East and add 20 new countries in Eastern Europe, MENA and Asia.

Delivery Hero, which was most recently valued at $3.1 Billion and competes directly with publicly listed Just Eat, along with newer premium entrants such as Deliveroo, Uber Eats & Amazon. Delivery Hero and Foodpanda are both backed by German ecommerce firm Rocket Internet, which has invested 800 million euros in Delivery Hero last year and put 300 million euros into Foodpanda which focuses on deliveries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. 

Foodpanda has built a fantastic position and service offering some of the largest food delivery markets globally. In November end, the company had announced the participation of Sunny Leone in their digital marketing campaign. The company had said that the campaign is going to target consumers through different Social Media platforms like Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram etc. 

Next Education buys Xolvr

Next Education, a Hyderabad based learning solutions provider for K-12 students, has acqui-hired Gurugram based education technology startup Xolvr. This is the company’s third acquisition in the past 12 months.

Xolvr connects students from grades six to 12 with undergraduate IIT students, who don the hat of a tutor and help them with students such as Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science among others, through video conferencing and using a shared whiteboard. This acqui-hire will add a new element to LearnNext by offering students with a platform to access over 50 tutors.

The move, which is aimed at adding a human element to the product, will be launched in July next year. Students who subscribe to LearnNext will have the option of taking one-to-one sessions with tutors on the platform. Next Education previously acquired the robotics lab programme RoboLAB from ThinkLABS and InOpen Technologies, which gives the company access to their computer science product.