Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is making good on her promise to beef up the
company’s mobile strategy to bring the floundering search engine into
the future.
OnTheAir, a
small startup specializing in broadcasting video chats and interviews
to online audiences, announced Dec. 4 it is “joining forces with Yahoo.”
Founded by a five-person team of former Meebo, Google, Apple, and
Cookiris employees in March of this year, OnTheAir was acquired for an
unknown sum. But, given the company has publicly received less than $1
million in seed funding and Mayer’s assertion that Yahoo was looking to
make small acquisitions, it is unlikely the purchase price was
staggering.
Yahoo confirmed in an e-mail the five-person OnTheAir team — Abel
Allison, Daniel Hopkins, Erik Goldman, Josh Schwarzapel, and Mike
Kerzhner — would focus on Yahoo’s mobile offerings.
“When we started OnTheAir, we had dreams of building a company that made a difference in the daily lives of millions,” the OnTheAir
website reads. “Our pursuit was challenging: We put in late nights
together. We debated intensely. We worked like crazy to build a product
we were proud to put our name on. While we haven’t yet attained our
dream of building a widespread daily use product, we are just as
committed to it. And this is why we’re so excited to be joining Yahoo,”
the post continues.”
“When we first met with the team at Yahoo, it was clear that
everybody there is committed to making mobile products the backbone for
the world’s daily habits. All in all, it’s a fascinating time to be
joining Yahoo. There’s a tremendous amount of energy in the company.
There are big things to be done and great products to be built, and
we’re thrilled to be a part of it.”
Yahoo senior vice-president of emerging products and technology Adam
Cahan described the addition of the OnTheAir team as a boon to Yahoo.
“Hiring the most talented mobile product thinkers and engineers is a
big priority for us moving forward,” Cahan said in a statement.
He said Yahoo “can’t wait to work with them to create the best possible mobile experience for our users.”
This acquisition is the second small, mobile-oriented deal since
Mayer filled the top spot at Yahoo this spring. Yahoo in October
purchased Stamped, a New York-based mobile startup that enables users to
share information about favorite restaurants and music on their
Smartphones.
Post from: SiteProNews
