Facebook Acquires Mobile App Data Startup Onavo, Establishes Israeli Office At Its Tel Aviv HQ

Tel Aviv-based mobile application data startup Onavo announced in a blog post that it was acquired by Facebook, and that the social network will establish its new Israeli office at its headquarters. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Israeli newspaper Calcalist pegged the price tag at between $150 million and $200 million, while another Israeli newspaper, The Marker, placed the range at $100 million to $200 million and said about 30 Onavo employees will join Facebook, as reported by TechCrunch. Internet.org -- the global partnership formed by Facebook, Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm, and Samsung, and aimed at connecting the two-thirds of the world’s population currently without Internet access -- was mentioned prominently in Onavo’s blog post, by Co-Founder and CEO Guy Rosen and Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Roi Tiger, which read: Three years ago, we started Onavo with the goal of helping today’s technology consumers and companies work more efficiently in a mobile world. We developed the award-winning Onavo mobile utility apps, and later launched Onavo Insights, the first mobile market intelligence service based on real engagement data. Our service helps people save money through more efficient use of data, and also helps developers, large and small, design better experiences for people. We’ve built world-class products and a remarkably talented team, which has pioneered important breakthroughs in data-compression technology and mobile analytics. Today, we’re eager to take the next step and make an even bigger impact by supporting Facebook’s mission to connect the world. As you know, Facebook and other mobile technology leaders recently launched Internet.org, formalizing Facebook’s commitment to improving access to the Internet for the next 5 billion people. This is a challenge we’re also passionate about. We’re excited to join their team, and hope to play a critical role in reaching one of Internet.org’s most significant goals -- using data more efficiently, so that more people around the world can connect and share. When the transaction closes, we plan to continue running the Onavo mobile utility apps as a standalone brand. As always, we remain committed to the privacy of people who use our application, and that commitment will not change. We are incredibly proud of the talented team we have assembled, and, recognizing this, Onavo’s Tel-Aviv office will remain open for business and will become Facebook’s new Israeli office. We’ll continue to advance the work we are doing in collaboration with Facebook’s great team. Thank you to everyone who has joined us on this journey. We’d like to extend a special thanks to our investors, who believed in us and in our vision from the early days. We’re excited for what’s next. Readers: How do you think Onavo will be able to contribute to the Internet.org effort?

Social Pro Daily

Facebook Acquires Mobile App Data Startup Onavo, Establishes Israeli Office At Its Tel Aviv HQ

Tel Aviv-based mobile application data startup Onavo announced in a blog post that it was acquired by Facebook, and that the social network will establish its new Israeli office at its headquarters.

David Cohen

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David Cohen