23 Acquisitions of Companies in the Social Industry

January 15, 2023
Acquisitions Hub

Company acquisitions in the Social industry always make headlines! Especially since related startups and technology companies have become very popular with private equity firms, strategic buyers and even family offices.

In this blog post, we are taking a closer look at 23 acquisitions that took place in the Social industry.

Brainium Studios acquired by PLAYSTUDIOS

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$70,000,000

Announcement:

13 October 2022

Details about the company:

A Portland-based independent software publishing company, Brainium Studios. They create simple and enjoyable iPhone games.

Headquarter:

Portland, Oregon, United States

Where to find them:

Industry:

Gaming, Social Media, Software, Video Games

Details about the buyer:

Award-winning free-to-play casual games for mobile and social platforms are created and managed by PLAYSTUDIOS.

Headquarter:

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Where to find them:

Brand Embassy acquired by NICE Systems

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$33,519,591

Announcement:

16 May 2019

Details about the company:

The Omnichannel Era of Digital Transformation. Agile. Customer service that is scalable

Headquarter:

London, England, United Kingdom

Where to find them:

Industry:

Analytics, Brand Marketing, Customer Service, SaaS, Social Media, Software

Details about the buyer:

For enterprises, NICE Systems offers intent-based systems that record and examine customer interactions and transactions.

Headquarter:

Ra'anana, HaMerkaz, Israel

Where to find them:

Computerlogy acquired by Yello Digital Marketing

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$1,500,000

Announcement:

17 August 2015

Details about the company:

Computerlogy has particular expertise in integrating social media networks into software development for large businesses.

Headquarter:

Chonburi, Chon Buri, Thailand

Where to find them:

Industry:

Apps, Social Media, Social Media Management, Software

Details about the buyer:

The media platform Yello Digital Marketing is comprehensive.

Headquarter:

Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea

Where to find them:

Kongregate acquired by Modern Times Group

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$55,000,000

Announcement:

20 June 2017

Details about the company:

Kongregate is a digital gaming platform and producer of mobile games.

Headquarter:

San Francisco, California, United States

Where to find them:

Industry:

Casual Games, Gaming, Internet, iOS, Mobile, Social Network

Details about the buyer:

An multinational entertainment company is called Modern Times Group.

Headquarter:

Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden

Where to find them:

MUA acquired by istyle

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$9,000,000

Announcement:

5 June 2017

Details about the company:

MakeupAlley (MUA) began as a small group of passionate beauty lovers in 1999.

Headquarter:

Syosset, New York, United States

Where to find them:

Industry:

Beauty, Communities, Consumer Goods, E-Commerce, Information Services, Social Media

Details about the buyer:

Istyle is an online store that provides customers with a variety of media items and cosmetics and beauty-related products.

Headquarter:

Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Where to find them:

MediaSite acquired by Sonic Foundry

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$5,600,000

Announcement:

7 September 2001

Details about the company:

A video platform for companies called Mediasite offers video recording, streaming, publication, and administration.

Headquarter:

Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Where to find them:

Industry:

Social Media, Video, Video Streaming

Details about the buyer:

The education, corporate, and government sectors may all benefit from Sonic Foundry's video capture, management, and webcasting systems.

Headquarter:

Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Where to find them:

Esavvy acquired by Empired

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$2,051,946

Announcement:

19 May 2014

Details about the company:

Enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, and content management are the main areas that Esavvy provides solutions and services for.

Headquarter:

North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Where to find them:

Industry:

Financial Services, Information Technology, Small and Medium Businesses, Social CRM

Details about the buyer:

Empired Ltd. is a national IT services provider listed on the ASX (ASX:EPD) with a wide variety of skills and expertise.

Headquarter:

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Where to find them:

Second Home acquired by Global Asset Capital

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$8,818,681

Announcement:

24 October 2022

Details about the company:

Second Home is the owner and operator of an office building for freelancers and small enterprises.

Headquarter:

London, England, United Kingdom

Where to find them:

Industry:

Coworking, Recreation, Social Entrepreneurship

Details about the buyer:

Private equity investor Global Asset Capital has a variety of interests in venture capital, structured finance, and real estate.

Headquarter:

Palo Alto, California, United States

Where to find them:

SHIFT acquired by Brand Networks

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$50,000,000

Announcement:

14 May 2015

Details about the company:

For companies and agencies, SHIFT is a top cross-network social advertising platform.

Headquarter:

Santa Monica, California, United States

Where to find them:

Industry:

Advertising, Advertising Platforms, Analytics, Apps, Real Time, Social Media

Details about the buyer:

650 corporate customers receive relevance-driven social marketing and advertising from Brand Networks.

Headquarter:

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Where to find them:

The Filter acquired by 24i

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$5,200,000

Announcement:

4 April 2022

Details about the company:

For some of the biggest broadcasters and TV firms in the world, The Filter leverages data to personalize TV content discovery.

Headquarter:

Bath, Bath and North East Somerset, United Kingdom

Where to find them:

Industry:

Content, Content Discovery, Digital Media, Information Technology, Music, Product Search, Social Media, TV, Video

Details about the buyer:

The pioneer in cutting-edge TV app creation is 24i.

Headquarter:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, The Netherlands

Where to find them:

VerticalNet acquired by BravoSolution

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$15,200,000

Announcement:

26 October 2007

Details about the company:

Supply management solutions are offered by VerticalNet, which assists businesses in determining ongoing value throughout the supply management process.

Headquarter:

Malvern, Pennsylvania, United States

Where to find them:

Industry:

Advertising, Digital Marketing, E-Commerce, Internet, Internet of Things, Online Portals, Social Media

Details about the buyer:

BravoSolution helps businesses connect supply management with their goals by providing software, practice innovation, and expertise solutions.

Headquarter:

Malvern, Pennsylvania, United States

Where to find them:

Locu acquired by GoDaddy

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$70,000,000

Announcement:

19 August 2013

Details about the company:

Local company growth is key to Locus' goal.

Headquarter:

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Where to find them:

Industry:

Advertising, Content, Developer APIs, Local, Personalization, Restaurants, Search Engine, Social Media

Details about the buyer:

GoDaddy is a web hosting and domain registrar that supports online companies.

Headquarter:

Scottsdale, Arizona, United States

Where to find them:

Phly acquired by dropp group | droppLabs

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$25,000,000

Announcement:

8 September 2022

Details about the company:

Flyy was developed by the Real-World Social Metaverse.

Headquarter:

Wilmington, Delaware, United States

Where to find them:

Industry:

Advertising Platforms, Social Network

Details about the buyer:

Using its unique inventions in Ai/ML, object detection, streaming, AR, MR, VR, and crypto, dropp group wins Web3.

Headquarter:

New York, New York, United States

Where to find them:

Granny GmbH acquired by Great-Granny Holding

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$1,394,290

Announcement:

1 August 2021

Details about the company:

A social media company called Granny is established in Berlin and focuses on influencer marketing and social media advertising campaigns.

Headquarter:

Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Where to find them:

Industry:

Advertising, Social Media, Social Media Marketing

Details about the buyer:

Company Holding

Headquarter:

Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Where to find them:

Punch Entertainment acquired by DeNA

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$37,000,000

Announcement:

15 September 2011

Details about the company:

Punch is a cross-platform company that creates social games for smartphones, the web, and social networking platforms.

Headquarter:

Palo Alto, California, United States

Where to find them:

Industry:

Apps, Gaming, Messaging, Mobile Apps, Social Network

Details about the buyer:

DeNA is a platform that offers social gaming, online shopping, and other web services for desktop computers and mobile phones.

Headquarter:

Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Where to find them:

ATTN: acquired by Candle Media

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$100,000,000

Announcement:

17 May 2022

Details about the company:

A multimedia network called ATTN aims to educate viewers on how they can change the world.

Headquarter:

Los Angeles, California, United States

Where to find them:

Industry:

Digital Media, News, Social Media, Video

Details about the buyer:

Film, television, music, animation, and other types of video entertainment are produced and distributed by Candle Media.

Headquarter:

Los Angeles, California, United States

Where to find them:

Bebo acquired by Twitch

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$25,000,000

Announcement:

18 June 2019

Details about the company:

A social networking site is called Bebo. Members may connect with pals through the company, share images, and find new hobbies.

Headquarter:

San Francisco, California, United States

Where to find them:

Industry:

Internet, Social Network

Details about the buyer:

Gamers may broadcast, watch, and discuss video games on Twitch, a social video network.

Headquarter:

San Francisco, California, United States

Where to find them:

Liquidlogic acquired by System C Healthcare

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$23,353,919

Announcement:

16 June 2009

Details about the company:

A software provider called Liquidlogic offers case management IT systems for children's and adult social care.

Headquarter:

Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom

Where to find them:

Industry:

Child Care, Computer, Information Technology, IT Management, Social, Software

Details about the buyer:

System C Healthcare offers superior systems implementation experience and solid, contemporary IT solutions to the health and social care industries.

Headquarter:

Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom

Where to find them:

oddity acquired by WONGDOODY

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$55,146,856

Announcement:

22 March 2022

Details about the company:

Oddity is a digital communication and commerce firm with a focus on offering solutions for the digital ecosystem.

Headquarter:

Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Where to find them:

Industry:

Content Marketing, CRM, E-Commerce, Internet, Social Media

Details about the buyer:

A marketing and advertising firm called WONGDOODY provides marketing and advertising services.

Headquarter:

Seattle, Washington, United States

Where to find them:

Podchaser acquired by Acast

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$34,000,000

Announcement:

17 July 2022

Details about the company:

The largest podcast database in the world, Podchaser powers podcaster, brand, and listener discovery.

Headquarter:

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States

Where to find them:

Industry:

Advertising Platforms, Analytics, Audio, Big Data, Data Visualization, Database, Internet Radio, Podcast, Search Engine, Social Network

Details about the buyer:

Acast is a podcasting and audio-on-demand platform that hosts, finances, and disseminates audio content internationally.

Headquarter:

Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden

Where to find them:

SugarBox acquired by Zee Entertainment Enterprises

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$11,500,000

Announcement:

15 March 2017

Details about the company:

The SugarBox local Wi-Fi network breaks customers' reliance on mobile data.

Headquarter:

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Where to find them:

Industry:

Computer, Information Technology, Infrastructure, Internet, Private Social Networking

Details about the buyer:

The second-largest media and entertainment firm in India is situated in Mumbai, and its name is Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.

Headquarter:

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Where to find them:

StepOut acquired by Massive Media

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$25,000,000

Announcement:

1 September 2013

Details about the company:

Indians may connect and engage with individuals in their area via the social networking site Stepout.

Headquarter:

New York, New York, United States

Where to find them:

Industry:

Apps, Finance, Search Engine, Social Media, Software

Details about the buyer:

The impact of mass media on millions of individuals

Headquarter:

Ghent, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium

Where to find them:

firma acquired by MIOGROUP

Details about the transaction:

Acquisition amount:

$11,583,886

Announcement:

21 June 2022

Details about the company:

A full-service agency for branding and innovation is firma.

Headquarter:

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Where to find them:

Industry:

Advertising, Communities, Marketing, Social Media

Details about the buyer:

One of the marketing and advertising groups in the industry is MIOGROUP.

Headquarter:

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Where to find them: