Buying frenzy continues for Yahoo

Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer told a New York tech conference that the US firm would maintain its plan to cut its stake by 40 percent when the Chinese firm makes its market debut, but declined to comment on valuation.

Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer told a New York tech conference that the US firm would maintain its plan to cut its stake by 40 percent when the Chinese firm makes its market debut, but declined to comment on valuation.

Published Mar 6, 2014

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San Francisco - Yahoo on Wednesday added Vizify to the long list of startups it has bought since former Google executive Marissa Mayer took the helm less than two years ago.

The company did not disclose how much it paid for Vizify, which specialises in letting people turn their social media data into videos, infograpics or other visual presentations.

“We have found in Vizify a company that shares our passion for visualisation technology and the user experience,” Yahoo said.

Founded in 2011, Vizify is based in Portland, Oregon. Its five-member team will join Yahoo's media product group in San Francisco.

“As for what's next, we can't talk specifics just yet, but we're excited to bring a more visual approach to data at Yahoo,” the Vizify team said in a post on the company's website.

“We have a lot more up our sleeves and can't wait to get started.”

Sunnyvale, California-based Yahoo has bought more than two dozen startups as Mayer tries to pump new life into the aging Internet pioneer eclipsed by Silicon Valley neighbour Google.

Last month, Yahoo acquired Wander, which makes smartphone visual diary-app Days.

The Days app, launched a year ago, lets people weave images captured at various moments into “visual diaries” of any given days in their lives.

The Wander team will go to work in Yahoo offices in New York as the company adds more muscle to its efforts to be centre stage on smartphones and tablet computers.

Since taking charge of Yahoo in July 2012, Mayer has made a priority of tailoring products and services for smartphones and tablets with an aim at becoming part of people's daily habits in the mobile age.

She has also shown a penchant for buying startups to add talented members of their teams to the Yahoo workforce. - Sapa-AFP

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