08.Samsung’s Latest Acquisition: Utah-Based Yesco Electronics

In the latest sign of its growing appetite for deals, Samsung Electronics said it has acquired a small U.S.-based manufacturer of light emitting diode displays.

Samsung is buying Utah-based YESCO Electronics, which focuses on making digital billboards and message signs, for an undisclosed amount.

Samsung, which makes a number of key components used it its electronic products, operates a display making unit that makes screens used in TVs and smartphones. A vast majority of the company’s liquid crystal display screens are lit by LED lights.






“Samsung will work with YESCO Electronics to deliver durable, long-lasting displays geared for varied and extreme conditions,” the South Korean company said in a statement.

The acquisition is the latest in a string of seemingly unrelated M&A deals by the South Korean technology giant in recent months.

In February, Samsung bought U.S. mobile payments startup LoopPay for an undisclosed sum to beef up software offerings in its flagship Galaxy S6 smartphone.

Just a week ago, its battery-making affiliate Samsung SDI said it will buy Magna International’s battery pack business based in Austria in a bid to strengthen its presence in the market for electric-car batteries. While financial terms for this deal weren’t disclosed, Samsung said it would acquire all of Magna’s 264 employees in the car-battery unit, production sites and existing contracts of the business.

Samsung also recently picked up printing-solutions company in Brazil called Simpress, saying that it aims to boost its enterprise business in the South American country through the acquisition.

At the end of December, Samsung had a cash reserve of $56 billion. Over the years, the conservative company has been more openly acquiring companies with technologies that could improve Samsung’s position in its key mobile and consumer electronics businesses.


Source:
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/03/05/samsungs-latest-acquisition-utah-based-yesco-electronics/

Twitter Confirms Acquisition Of India’s Missed Call Marketing Platform ZipDial

Last week TechCrunch reported Twitter was in final talks to acquire ZipDial for between $30 million and $40 million, and today the company announced the deal has closed.
ZipDial allows people to call a special phone number for a business, hang up before they incur a charge, and then receive a phone call or SMS with information about the business. This “missed call” marketing platform allows people to access content for free, which is especially useful in the developing world where many can’t afford data plans.
Twitter said about the deal “For many, their first online experience will be on a mobile device – but the cost of data may prevent them from experiencing the true power of the Internet. Twitter, in partnership with ZipDial, can make great content more accessible to everyone.” When asked about the acquisition price, Twitter told me “We aren’t disclosing financial terms of the deal” but did say
“The majority of ZipDial’s team will be joining us.”


Source:
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/19/twitter-confirms-acquistion-of-indias-missed-call-marketing-platform-zipdial/