#QWIKI ACQUIRED SERIES#

There are plenty of those,” said Imbruce to Lauren Goode in an interview in February. “We don’t want to be the world’s 10th video-sharing app. Qwiki is led by CEO and co-founder Doug Imbruce, but its other co-founder is Louis Monier, the founder of the AltaVista search site, who left the company in 2011. She has also been on the lookout for talent.

#QWIKI ACQUIRED SERIES#

While all that pivoting seems unusual, the company recently settled on its mobile-only focus, which is just where Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has been aiming Yahoo’s efforts, looking to create a series of daily apps and services to reinvigorate its offerings.

And last year it hooked up with Yahoo news partner ABC News on a publishing platform to quickly create interactive stories. Qwiki recently released that app, but began as a multimedia search offering, with another iPad app that creates video summaries of search terms, as well as other video-creation tools for storytelling. “We will continue to support the Qwiki app, and the team will join Yahoo! in our New York city office to reimagine Yahoo!’s storytelling experience,” said Yahoo in a blog post. Yahoo said it will not - as it has done with most of its smaller acquisitions - kill off the brand. Mayer’s plan for reviving the fortunes of the faded Internet pioneer includes making priorities of mobile devices, video, personalized digital content, and elevating the company’s popularity outside the US.As AllThingsD reported two weeks ago that it was likely to do, Yahoo said it has bought Qwiki, the New York startup that makes an Apple iPhone app that allows users to turn photos, music and videos into short movies automatically.ĪTD had reported a $40 million to $50 million price tag, which sources said was in the correct range. Yahoo is reported to be eyeing online video website Hulu after its bid to buy a majority stake in France-based Dailymotion was derailed in May. Yahoo recently bought PlayerScale, a startup that powers games played on smartphones, tablets, consoles or personal computers. Since former Google executive Mayer became chief at Yahoo, the company has racked up a series of acquisitions including startups Alike, Stamped, and a Summly application built by a British teen. Yahoo last month bought startup GhostBird Software, which makes picture-taking applications for iPhones, to enhance its Flickr photo service. Yahoo has been snapping up companies since Mayer took the helm in July of last year and vowed to revive the company, which has faded in the face of competition from Google. Yahoo in June completed a billion-dollar deal taking over the popular blogging platform Tumblr, a move aimed at bringing more youthful users into the company’s orbit. The Qwiki buy announcement came a day after Yahoo put out word that it bought Bignoggins Productions, a one-person operation specializing in fantasy sports applications for iPhones. Yahoo promised to continue to support the Qwiki app after the startup’s team becomes part of its office in New York City. “The Qwiki app automatically turns pictures and videos that you already have on your iPhone into quick, beautiful movies to share, including transitions and a soundtrack.'

Qwiki acquired