• The Seattle Times, Tuesday, August 2, 2011 10:15 AM

Premium email service provider IncrediMail on Monday announced plans to buy photo-sharing site Smilebox for $25 million in cash, plus up to $15 million based on performance targets. Smilebox offers photo-editing tools for creating digital postcards, slideshows, collages and other products on home computers and retail photo kiosks.

"They're very clearly aligned with us in growing this thing and making it big," Wright said. Smilebox founder Andrew Wright tell The Seattle Times regarding IncrediMail, which also operates a photo-sharing product called PhotoJoy.

"It's a very good fit." Wright is a RealNetworks veteran who received early backing from Real founder Rob Glaser and Paul Thelen, another Real vet who started Big Fish Games. Currently, Smilebox has about 50 employees, and all but one -- an operations manager being replaced by an executive from IncrediMail -- will keep their jobs after the deal closes this fall, according to The Seattle Times. According to Wright, Smilebox will benefit from IncrediMail's global footprint and experience in direct marketing and analytics.

Read the whole story at The Seattle Times »