AI-powered Estonian QA startup Klaus acquired by Zendesk

Klaus – an Estonian-born startup which emerged in 2019 to aid customer services agents – has been acquired by global customer services platform Zendesk for an undisclosed amount. Last year Zendesk also acquired Tymeshift, a workforce management tool, to fold into its product. It would be remiss of us not to mention that the downturn in … Read more

What’s next for STIRR, the free streaming service Thinking Media just acquired

Broadcasting company Sinclair recently sold off its free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service STIRR to Thinking Media, a startup that provides cloud-based streaming solutions for FAST and over-the-top (OTT) services. The new owners have ambitious plans for the streamer, including an international expansion, tripling its on-demand content library and becoming an AI-native streamer with advanced … Read more

Zach Gage’s Puzzmo gets acquired as the newspaper games space heats up

The battle over newspaper-style puzzle games is intensifying. Hearst — which publishes the likes of Cosmopolitan, Esquire, and the San Francisco Chronicle — has announced that it has acquired Puzzmo, a puzzle gaming platform led by indie developers Zach Gage and Orta Therox. The move puts Hearst directly up against the gaming efforts of The … Read more

French VC firm Founders Future just acquired an equity crowdfunding platform, Sowefund

Here’s an interesting move. Founders Future, a well-known VC firm in the French tech ecosystem, acquired an equity crowdfunding marketplace called Sowefund. While terms of the deal remain undisclosed, Sowefund has been profitable since 2022 with around 20 employees. Following this move, Founders Future now has two separate yet complementary businesses. With its VC funds, … Read more

Letterboxd has been acquired — and promises ‘very little’ will change

Letterboxd, a beloved film reviews and social media platform that took off during the pandemic, has been acquired. Its new owner is a Canadian holding company called Tiny, which promises a “fast, friendly, and simple” process for founders looking for “quick, straightforward exits.” Letterboxd has been around since 2011, founded by Matthew Buchanan and Karl … Read more