Betapond, a software development company focused on the Facebook platform that started up in Waterford and which now has offices in Dublin, London and San Jose, California, has acquired iPlatform, the UK’s first Facebook-preferred developer for an undisclosed sum.
The combined cash and stock transaction is the first acquisition by Betapond.
Betapond closed a €1.15m round of venture capital funding in January 2012.
The combined company will offer global brands and their agencies greater scale and depth of resources for developing innovative Facebook integrations. The deal is a sign of the maturity of the Facebook development sector, following a number of high-profile acquisitions of Facebook developers by major technology and marketing automation companies in the past 18 months.
The two companies made the announcement, appropriately, at the Facebook London offices during Social Media Week.
“This acquisition gives Betapond a deeper pool of engineering talent and increases our scale in London,” said Declan Kennedy, Betapond co-founder and chief executive.
“The iPlatform team brings a depth of experience and talent that will allow us to offer brands a competitive edge in advanced Facebook marketing.”
“Having scale in London, a global hub for marketing innovation, and the European base for so many global brands, is vital,” added Kennedy. “Marketers in London demand the best and most sophisticated Facebook marketing techniques. With the iPlatform team on board, Betapond is in a stronger position to meet that demand.”
Betapond will grow to 30 London-based employees in 2013.
“We started iPlatform in 2008 because we believed that the Facebook platform was the most genuine way for companies to engage with their customers,” said iPlatform co-founder Joshua March.
“Since then, we’ve worked with hundreds of brands to help them deliver Facebook campaigns in the most engaging and social way possible. Betapond is uniquely positioned to help take the iPlatform vision and team to the next level, and we’re excited to be supporting their fast expansion in the UK.”
Business team image via Shutterstock
