Zipari Lands Growth Investment from Thoma Bravo, Combines with Healthx to Create Consumer Experience Platform for Healthcare Payers
New York - 21st December 2020 - Zipari, the company behind the first and only consumer experience platform built specifically for health insurance, has announced a strategic growth investment from Thoma Bravo, a private equity investment firm, focused on the software and technology-enabled services sector. Through this investment, valuing the company at more than half a billion dollars, Zipari will combine with Healthx, a provider of trusted healthcare engagement technologies, to create the leading CX platform and solutions for health insurance payers and third-party administrators. Mark Nathan, Founder and CEO of Zipari, will continue to lead the business. The company will remain headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. Mark Nathan, CEO of Zipari, said: “This is an exciting day for Zipari and the culmination of six years of evolution and innovation for healthcare payers. This transaction opens up new opportunities for our clients and enables payers and TPAs of all sizes to create breakthrough experiences for their consumers. We look forward to working closely with Thoma Bravo as we develop a strategic roadmap for integration and migration that advantages our clients and addresses the diverse needs of the marketplace.”
https://zipari.com/zipari-announces-strategic-growth-investment-from-thoma-bravo-and-combines-with-healthx-to-create-an-end-to-end-consumer-experience-platform-for-healthcare-payers/

Wipro to Acquire Metro AG
Düsseldorf, Germany, East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA and Bangalore, India – 22nd December 2020: Wipro Limited, a global information technology, consulting and business process services company, has announced a significant strategic digital and IT partnership deal with METRO AG, a global wholesale company that is redefining the food service distribution industry. As a part of this transaction, Wipro will take over the IT units of METRO AG — METRO-NOM GMBH in Germany and METRO Systems Romania S.R.L. The estimated deal value for the duration of the first 5 years is approximately $700 million. With the intention to extend up to 4 additional years, with a potential spend of up to $1 billion. Wipro will deliver a complete technology, engineering and solutions transformation program for METRO as it positions itself as a Wholesale 360-degree provider in the hotel, restaurant and catering food industry fuelled by quality, focus and flexibility. Wipro’s transformation program will encompass cloud, data center services, workplace and network services, along with application development and operations to provide an integrated, flexible and robust digital infrastructure to help drive METRO’s transformation agenda. Timo Salzsieder, CIO, METRO AG, commented: “We are at a stage where we want to focus on the activities that are going to give us the strongest possible competitive advantage and to do that, we need to be confident in the digital infrastructure that underpins our growth. Partnering with Wipro allows us to simplify and streamline our IT landscape, and critically gives us access to innovation and the best digital practices.”
https://www.wipro.com/newsroom/press-releases/2020/wipro-and-metro-ag-sign-strategic-digital-and-it-deal/

IBM Acquires Expertus Technologies Inc. to Expand Hybrid Cloud Digital Payment Solution
Armonk, New York – 15th December 2020 - IBM has announced it has acquired Montreal-based fintech company, Expertus Technologies Inc. The acquisition strengthens IBM's portfolio as an end-to-end digital payments solution provider and further advances IBM's hybrid cloud and AI strategy. Discussing the rationale for the deal, Senior Vice President, IBM Services, Mark Foster said: “Financial institutions must balance greater demand for secure digital solutions while complying with rapidly evolving regulation. Expertus' payment-as-a-service solution expands our hybrid cloud-based payments offerings, transforming payments and treasury management with AI to give financial institutions the flexibility to rapidly innovate and stay competitive as consumer demands evolve." Expertus is a pioneer in cloud solutions for the financial services industry. More than 1,000 entities including banks, credit unions, regulatory agencies and corporates around the globe process an average of over $50 billion daily on its payments platform. Expertus is also one of the largest North American services bureaus of the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Transactions (SWIFT), the vast network used by banks and other financial institutions to manage money trans s and treasury transactions.
https://newsroom.ibm.com/2020-12-15-IBM-Acquires-Expertus-Technologies-Inc-to-Expand-Hybrid-Cloud-Digital-Payment-Solutions

Hometrack Acquires EDM’s Mortgage Automation Arm
Hometrack, provider of automated valuation models (AVMs) and portfolio insight to the UK and Dutch property markets, has acquired the mortgage automation arm of the EDM Group. As part of the acquisition, Hometrack will welcome EDM’s Mortgage Decision Automation team, the part of EDM’s business that specialises in enabling financial institutions to streamline judgements and processes related to mortgage applications. Alongside this group of experts, the former EDM Chief Technology Officer, Spencer Wyer, will join Hometrack’s leadership team under the stewardship of Managing Director, David Ross. Commenting on the acquisition, David Ross, Managing Director of Hometrack, said: “We are always looking for ways to expand the breadth of service we offer our customers. EDM shares our goal of making the mortgage lending process faster, cheaper and less risky, ultimately benefiting lenders and borrowers alike. As such, the opportunity to combine EDM’s mortgage automation arm with Hometrack was one we didn’t want to miss. We believe this acquisition will help us reach our vision faster and in a more comprehensive way than we could do alone. We are also delighted to welcome Spencer along with a team of experts from EDM to Hometrack.”
https://www.hometrack.com/uk/about-us/press-room/december-2020-hometrack-acquires-edm-s-mortgage-automation-arm/

GoDaddy Acquires Poynt, Expands Commerce Services with Offline Sales and Integrated Payments
Scottsdale, Arizona – 15th December 2020 - GoDaddy Inc, the company that empowers everyday entrepreneurs, has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Poynt. Under the terms of the agreement, GoDaddy will pay $320 million in cash at closing and $45 million in deferred cash payments subject to certain performance and employment conditions over three years. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to the satisfaction of regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Comenting on the deal, GoDaddy CEO, Aman Bhutani, said: "Commerce is critical to our customers and we continue to invest in building seamlessly intuitive experiences that enable small businesses to sell everywhere. Poynt accelerates our strategy to provide a complete suite of commerce and payment services to address this critical customer need and focus on a large addressable market opportunity. We've built leading e-commerce capabilities that today allow small businesses to easily sell on their sites, across major marketplaces and the most popular social networks, and now we will help make them successful everywhere."
https://aboutus.godaddy.net/newsroom/news-releases/press-release-details/2020/GoDaddy-Acquires-Poynt-Expands-Commerce-Services-with-Offline-Sales-and-Integrated-Payments/default.aspx

MassMutual to acquire fintech platform Flourish
Springfield, Massachussetss – 14th December 2020 – Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and Stone Ridge Asset Management (Stone Ridge), an asset manager with more than $10 billion in assets under management (AUM) that focuses on registered investment advisers (RIAs), institutions and insurance companies, have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for MassMutual to acquire Flourish, a fintech platform for RIAs. Financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed. Flourish will expand MassMutual’s existing product suite and strengthen the company’s ability to deliver digitally enabled holistic financial planning while complementing its efforts to provide the best technology to its advisors and clients and deliver a seamless digital experience.
https://www.massmutual.com/about-us/news-and-press-releases/press-releases/2020/12/massmutual-to-acquire-fintech-platform-flourish

Google Acquires Neverware 
15th December 2020 - Google has acquired Neverware, maker of CloudReady, a solution for bringing Chrome OS to older PCs. In a Q&A announcing the deal, Forrest Smith, Director of Product & CX at Neverware said that Neverware and CloudReady are now officially part of Google and the Chrome OS team. Forrest also outlined future plans, post-acquisition for Neverware: “CloudReady will continue to be available as-is, and we’re committed to supporting and maintaining existing customers. Over the long term CloudReady will become an official Chrome OS offering, and existing customers will be upgraded seamlessly as that happens.” Beyond that, there are no immediate changes to the product or how it’s supported and Google will honour existing multi-year licenses, with no planned price increases for those wishing to renew their licences.

https://cloudreadykb.neverware.com/s/article/Neverware-is-now-part-of-Google-FAQ

Google Acquires UK Start Up Dataform
London, UK - 8th December 2020 - Google Cloud has acquired UK data warehouse start up, Dataform. As part of the deal, Google will offer Dataform Web for free to all new users and all existing customers will also immediately transition onto the free plan. In a blog announcing the acquisition, Guillaume Huon of Dataform said the 7-member Dataform team will continue to run and maintain the operation and will be working closely with the rest of the Google Cloud Data Analytics team. Huon continued: “At Dataform we always felt we were delivering a unique and innovative product to our customers and the data community. With Google’s support, we have even more confidence in our ability to build and deliver a product that can truly change the way that all companies, large and small, work with data.”
https://dataform.co/blog/dataform-is-joining-google-cloud

Cisco to Acquire Best-in-Class Audience Interaction Company, Sli.do
Bratislava, Slovakia - 7th December 2020 - Silicon Valley tech giant Cisco Systems has agreed to acquire Slovakia-based technology company, Sli.do, a provider of technology for virtual meetings. Sli.do’s technology has become particularly relevant in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic forced people to move to remote working, with the company's technology currently being used by more than 7 million people. According to Cisco, the Sli.do technology will enhance audience engagement across both in-person and virtual experiences. Following the deal, Sli.do will be integrated into the Cisco Webex platform. Commenting, Slido CEO Peter Komornik, said, in a blog post: “We believe that the way we work has changed forever. In the years to come, much of our work will happen on video calls and virtual meetings. We realized that if we want to impact millions of lives for the better and truly transform how meetings and events are run around the World, we will need a strong partner.” In a press release announcing the acquisition, Cisco said:  "Slido technology enables higher levels of user engagement ― before, during and after meetings and events. The Slido technology will be part of the Cisco Webex platform and enhance Cisco’s ability to offer new levels of inclusive audience engagement across both in-person and virtual experiences."
https://blogs.cisco.com/news/346777

Adobe Completes Acquisition of Workfront
San Jose, California - 7th December 2020 - Adobe has announced the completion of its acquisition of Workfront, the work management platform for marketers. Adobe’s acquisition of Workfront will bring efficiency, collaboration and productivity gains to marketing teams currently challenged with siloed work management solutions. Both companies are established partners with strong product synergies and a growing base of over 1,000 shared customers, including Under Armour, Nordstrom, Prudential Financial, T-Mobile and The Home Depot. Anil Chakravarthy, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Digital Experience Business and Worldwide Field Operations, Adobe, said: “Together, Adobe and Workfront will give leading brands access to a single system to support planning, collaboration and governance, to unlock organizational productivity.” He continued: “Adobe is leading the charge in digital transformation, and with Workfront, we’re further accelerating this vision.”
https://news.adobe.com/news/news-details/2020/Adobe-Completes-Acquisition-of-Workfront/default.aspx

Cisco to Acquire IMImobile to Embed Omnichannel Engagement Into Customer Experience as a Service
San Jose, California and London - 6th December 2020  -  Cisco and IMImobile PLC have announced that they have reached agreement on the terms of a recommended cash offer pursuant to which Cisco will pay 595 pence per share in exchange for each share of IMImobile, or an aggregate purchase price of approximately USD $730 million. IMImobile provides software and services which allow enterprises and organizations to stay constantly connected to their customers through enhanced interactive channels including social, messaging and voice. Following completion of the acquisition, Cisco will be able to offer customer-facing businesses with an end-to-end customer interaction management solution and rich customer experiences, along with the ability to drive faster and smarter interactions and orchestration throughout the lifecycle journey of the customer. Jeetu Patel, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s Security and Applications business,said: “We look forward to working with IMImobile to help create a comprehensive CXaaS solution for the market—one that gives businesses a platform to provide delightful experiences across the entire customer lifecycle journey.”
https://newsroom.cisco.com/press-release-content?type=webcontent&articleId=2130728

Synechron Acquires Australian FinTech Attra
New York, Toronto, Charlotte, London, Paris, Amsterdam - 11th December 2020 - Australian financial technology company Attra has been acquired by infrastructure technology and consultancy giant Synechron. How much Synechron paid for Attra and other terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Attra’s financial advisor on this transaction is Avendus Capital. Software company Synechron continues its streak of acquisitions with Attra which marks the second deal it has closed in the last 6 weeks, when the company acquired a London and NY-based fintech consulting firm, Citihub Digital. Faisal Husain, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Synechron, explained, “We provide our clients with a comprehensive set of digital transformation capabilities and the acquisition of Attra enables us to strengthen our service offerings. Moving forward, our combined workforce will top 10,000 employees and annual revenue of $650M+. The enhanced competencies that Attra brings will allow us to further advance our clients’ banking & digital payment technology services while ensuring regulatory compliance.” He added, “Attra’s end-to-end payments technology services will blend nicely with our digital innovation that is at the very core of Synechron’s DNA. We welcome the Attra team into the Synechron family.”
https://www.synechron.com/news/synechron-acquires-attra

FOG Software Group has completed the acquisition of Vortx Inc.
Ashland, OR – 9th December 2020 - Vortx, makers of AspDotNetStorefront, creates and hosts eCommerce solutions in vertical markets with unique business requirements. The Vortx solution helps retail and wholesale companies grow by solving their complex need for a growth-oriented eCommerce presence. Following the acquisition, Vortx will operate as an independent division of FOG Software Group. The company will continue to develop, enhance, service and support their industry-leading eCommerce solutions that truly differentiate and provide a competitive edge for their customers. “I am excited to see the Vortx team join the FOG family. They are complementary to our growing portfolio of retail and ecommerce solutions and bring additional depth to our companies in this space,” said Sandy Scott, Portfolio Manager, FOG Software Group. “Vortx’s focus on vertical markets with unique functional requirements really provides us with the opportunity to go deeper with existing customers and also to explore other industry categories with unique business challenges.”
https://www.fogsoftwaregroup.com/press-releases/fog-software-group-fog-a-division-of-vela-software-has-completed-the-acquisition-of-vortx-inc-vortx

Waresix acquires Trukita to connect more of Indonesia’s fragmented logistics chain
Jakarta, Indonesia - 17th December 2020 - Waresix, one of Indonesia’s largest logistics startups, has acquired Trukita, a company that focuses on the “first mile.” The term refers to the part of the supply chain where goods are transported from ports to warehouses. Both Waresix and Trukita operate by connecting businesses to shippers and warehouses, and the acquisition will enable them to lower customer costs. While Waresix’s platform digitizes all parts of the supply and logistics chain, its current focus is on mid-mile logistics services, or transportation from warehouses to distributors.
https://www.waresix.com/news

Thumbtack Acquires Digital Home Management Platform Setter, Adds New Maintenance Capability for Homeowners
San Francisco - Thumbtack, a local services marketplace, has announced an acquisition that will enable the company to provide detailed home care and maintenance action plans, deepening its relationship with homeowners. Thumbtack adds this powerful new capability to further assist homeowners through its acquisition of Setter, a Toronto based home management platform. This acquisition is expected to drive even deeper loyalty and engagement while accelerating Thumbtack’s already robust growth. As the company continues to create great experiences in home services, it has seen 15 million unique households use its marketplace in the last 12 months. Marco Zappacosta, co-founder and CEO of Thumbtack, commented: “This acquisition will allow Thumbtack to become a critically important partner for homeowners who want to be sure they have an ongoing program in place to protect their most important asset — their home. Delivering this new maintenance program alongside Thumbtack’s instant access to skilled home service professionals will help put home care on autopilot.”
https://press.thumbtack.com/announcements/thumbtack-acquires-digital-home-management-platform-setter-adding-new-maintenance-capability-for-homeowners/

Seismic Acquires Grapevine6
San Diego – 1st December 2020 - Sales enablement and marketing orchestration platform provider, Seismic, has announced the acquisition of Grapevine6, a patented social and digital sales engagement platform. With this acquisition, Seismic strengthens its ability to provide sales professionals with relevant content sourced from 11,000 third-party publishers. This will enable sellers to engage more frequently with their relationships through meaningful, authentic online conversations taking place on social media platforms. The acquisition will result in a new, integrated offering called Seismic LiveSocial. A social engagement solution for sales and client-facing teams, LiveSocial will leverage the AI engine built by Grapevine6 to help sellers become trusted advisors by authentically engaging with their clients across the social media landscape. This news comes on the heels of incredible industry momentum for Seismic, including its $92M Series F funding round and strong YoY revenue growth. Doug Winter, Seismic co-founder and CEO, said: "In today's dynamic sales landscape, buyers increasingly want to hear from and connect with trusted individuals, not companies, on social media. Grapevine6 will be instrumental to providing additional customer value by combining Seismic's industry-leading sales enablement platform and Grapevine6's digital engagement platform, further empowering sales teams to educate and engage with buyers online - while simultaneously helping to build their personal brands in an authentic way."
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/seismic-acquires-grapevine6-to-enable-digital-sales-engagement-across-multiple-customer-facing-social-media-and-digital-platforms-301182572.html