mergertech

Apple has invested in a lot of industries, but social media has not generally been one of them. Apart from the short-lived Ping, which allowed iTunes users to share their favorite songs with friends, the company has left that particular specialty to others. But that may change.

Photonic systems work through the transmission and detection of light, and have many applications, especially in the telecommunications, defense, space and life sciences industries. The Wall Street Journal reports that Constelex, though only four years old, has amassed a respectable reputation in its industry and has used that to secure contracts from the European Space Agency for satellite work.

Yahoo has announced its acquisition of mobile app startup Ptch, according to a report by CNet. Launched about a year ago with financial help from DreamWorks, Ptch lets users create montage videos from photos that they have taken, resulting in slideshows and even stop-motion videos.

"Adding Given's portfolio of diagnostics to our portfolio accelerates Covidien's strategy of providing physicians with products that support the patient along the care continuum from diagnosis to treatment," Bryan Hanson, group president of Covidien's medical devices and United States operations, told the news source.

Yahoo has announced its acquisition of mobile app startup Ptch, according to a report by CNet. Launched about a year ago with financial help from DreamWorks, Ptch lets users create montage videos from photos that they have taken, resulting in slideshows and even stop-motion videos.

Many business owners don't realize it, but this rarely-mentioned aspect of the mergers and acquisitions process is actually quite important. As noted by a recent article on Inc.com, the best marketing strategies are built around what contributor Bruce Condit calls "the four-P's"--product, place, promotion and price.

If you create a successful startup, chances are a larger company will one day seek to acquire your organization. Often, this can be a good thing. By joining a larger company, many startups find that they still have the freedom to do the work that they set out to do, without having to worry so much about financial resources.

Unity Technologies, creator of the popular game development engine Unity recently announced that it has acquired Applifier, maker of the the Everplay and GameAds services. The financial details of the technology merger were not disclosed.

Previously on this blog, it was discussed that Apple and Beats had entered an acquisition deal. However, before the deal could go through, it had to receive regulatory approval. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, the deal was approved last Friday. The acquisition was for a reported $3 billion.

Though buying a business may cost more than starting one, "it's easier to get financing to buy an existing business than to start a new one," reports Entrepreneur. This is because lenders tend to have more confidence in the profitability of pre-existing companies that are already generating revenue.

Travel & Expense (T&E) management software corporation SAP SE, based in Germany, has arranged for its subsidiary SAP America, Inc. to acquire Washington-based T&E software provider Concur Technologies in an $8.3 billion agreement ($129 per share), GigaOm reports.

The company's self-described "flagship product," Docspad, is targeted at app developers who wish to make document viewing and editing a seamless experience for their users. Docspad offers document embedding capabilities, as well as the ability to annotate and edit documents within applications themselves.

Selling a company requires more preparation than some business owners might think. In an article for Entrepreneur, contributor Brad Sugars encourages potential sellers to start preparing a year before they intend to pass the baton.

In accordance with the recent technology merger trend in which companies acquire others in order to expand their cloud-based offerings, Raleigh-based open-source software provider Red Hat, Inc. has announced its intention to acquire FeedHenry, a self-described "leading enterprise mobile application platform provider," for $81.8 million.

Make sure your data is in order- that means organized financial paperwork and thorough documentation of everything. Prepare a detailed account of every role within the company and what each team and individual's responsibilities are.

Red Hat, which was founded in 1993, is famous for its open-source software Red Hat Enterprise Linux, but is looking to shift its attention "from client-server to cloud-mobile," according to CEO Jim Whitehurst. In a recent blog post, he called this shift in focus "a once-every-twenty-years kind of change."

Making the decision to acquire a small business is one that requires much forethought and planning. In some cases, buyers are confident in their desire to buy a business, but are unsure of what type of company will be the most lucrative and well-suited to their needs.

Live Nation and Ticketmaster officially merged in 2010, becoming Live Nation Entertainment a year after the merger deal was proposed in February 2009. Ticketmaster's acquisition of Eventjoy is certainly in line with recent trends. According to Mashable, 17 percent of Ticketmaster's sales were purchased using a mobile device this year, up 3 percent from the end of last year.

Multinational tech company Oracle recently announced its successful acquisition of MICROS Systems, Inc., a Maryland-based hospitality-centric hardware and software manufacturer. The merger, which was recently approved by the European Commission, totaled $5.3 billion at $68 per share, and is Oracle's most significant acquisition since purchasing Sun Microsystems in 2010, reports Bloomberg writer Dina Bass. Oracle has acquired approximately 100 companies over the last ten years, spending roughly $50 billion in the process.

Mobile has become an increasingly popular way for people to access online content. From reading the news to shopping, listening to music, talking on the phone and more, people are using mobile devices to consume a great deal of content. This trend creates a need for businesses to be able to make their websites easy to read when viewed on a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet.