Blackboard Buys Mobile Messaging Company Saf-T-Net For $33 Million
Blackboard, a company that designs an education software for school groups, has acquired mobile messaging provider Saf-T-Net for $33 million. Saf-T-Net develops AlertNow, which is a mobile messaging technology aimed to the K-12 marketplace.
AlertNow’s technology delivers voice, e-mail and emergency SMS messages at a rate up to 2.5 million per hour to parents, students and school administrators. The company, which sent 25 million message in February alone, has over 2000 schools using its product and will be used to Blackboard’s mobile technology. Saf-T-Net will also help Blackboard further its dominance in the the K-12 market; Blackboard’s software has been used predominantly by colleges and universities.
Currently, Blackboard provides software for 5000 educational institutions. The company recently boughtTerriblyCleverDesigns, a startup that helped create iPhone and other mobile apps for colleges and universities, for $4 million.
1 comment:
Since Blackboard spends so much on product development already shouldn't this acquisition allow them to further enhance the technology since small technology companies that aren't as well capitalized don't have as much $$ to spend on innovation? Apple or Microsoft could easily compete more evenly with Blackboard if they wanted to, but they choose not to enter a lucrative market. Is Desire 2 Learn really crippled? I think D2L would disagree with the premise of your argument that BBBB getting bigger is bad for competition.
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