Yahoo Buys Mobile Start-up Sparq

Another day, another Yahoo acquisition. Mobile marketing startup Sparq on Tuesday announced on its site it had been bought by the Web giant. 

Seattle-based Sparq describes itself as a platform that makes it “easier to buy, share and consume products, services and content wherever the user is…any device, any app, anywhere.” Its technology is meant to optimize a user’s experience across mobile devices and apps.

First reported by TechCrunch, Yahoo stated of the acquisition: “The Sparq team has built mobile deep linking technology that makes it easier for people to jump from app to app to discover, consume and engage with content. They will be joining the mobile team in Sunnyvale."

In the company's announcement today, Sparq founder and CEO Jess Chor said it would be shutting down its current service and reaching out to existing customers with details. That suggests this deal is another aqui-hire by Yahoo, similar to many of the nearly 30 acquisitions it racked up last year to gain engineering talent and technology.

It’s already Yahoo’s second acquisition this year, following on the heels of its purchase of Aviate, a start-up that provides a home screen launcher for Android phones. Yahoo has launched a series of new or updated apps and increased its mobile audience to 400 million under CEO Marissa Mayer, but gains have lagged on the ad side.

At CES, Yahoo announced a series of new or upgraded ad products spanning the Web, mobile and video, aimed at boosting its sagging display ad business.  

Next story loading loading..