California based Qliktag Software acquires Buzzfactory Interactive
Buzzfactory Interactive has been acquired by Qliktag Software Inc. An innovative mobile technology company headquartered in Newport Beach, California, USA. Buzzfactory is one of the earliest and reputed social media & digital agencies based in Pune.
Qliktag Software Inc. which had initially made an early angel investment in Buzzfactory in January 2013 and had a minority stake in the company has now acquired complete ownership of the Pune based firm which will continue to deliver on its core offering based on expertise in social media & the digital domain and additionally extend its creative capabilities to “in-store mobile merchandising and mobile engagement” through the technology platform launched by Qliktag.
Buzzfactory was founded as a startup in 2009 by Neil Sequeira and has evolved over the years into a 360 degree social media and digital agency with strong capabilities and expertise in content strategy, communication, social media and the digital domain as a medium for businesses. Having worked with clients from across the globe, the company which was incorporated as Buzzfactory Interactive in late 2012 has been evolving its offerings based on the rapidly changing requirements of the digital domain.
Excited about the acquisition, Neil Sequeira Founder & CEO, Buzzfactory shared
Mobile engagement and bridging the digital world we have become so reliant on with the real physical world we live in is something we believe in very strongly as an agency in terms of where the future is headed. Having worked with Qliktag Software Inc. for some time now, I believe the technology platform they have been working on clubbed with the services capabilities Buzzfactory has built will drive us through a more exciting future. Moreover, the acquisition will help Buzzfactory expand its existing services into the US and global markets through developing a stronger presence there and introduce Qliktag’s technology to Asia and India where the mobile equipped consumer base is large and more businesses are looking for innovative ways to capture their attention and engage them.
Buzzfactory will continue to be headed by Neil Sequeira who will assume the role of CEO along with core team members Trupti Mulajkar-Deshmukh and Kunal Bajaj to manage client operations and growth in India. They will be joined by Jeff Ballard who comes in as Head of North America Operations at the Newport Beach office in California.
Explaining the synergies behind the deal, Dilip Daswani, CEO of Qliktag Software shared,
Our Q*Engine mobile merchandising platform has seen some interesting use cases with early customers like Jack Daniels, C Mondavi & Family Wines, SurfCity Nissan to name a few who have used the technology creatively to enable their customers to interact with products in the retail environment using their smartphones and create a more interactive retail experience. With acquiring Buzzfactory’s creative services capabilities in deploying in-store mobile experiences using Qliktag’s technology platform, we’re essentially adding value through being able to offer a more complete innovative software plus services to customers. At the same time, with how closely social media, digital marketing and mobile all tie in, we see good potential for expanding what Buzzfactory has been doing with helping businesses get things right through this digital era and combining the teams, capabilities and business was seen as the best way to move ahead.
The acquisition will be followed by an expansion of the team both on the digital marketing services front as well on the product development and technology end as well as plans to promote Qliktag’s mobile merchandising and engagement technology within India and developing the North American client base for Buzzfactory’s solutions.
