AOL Acquires Widget Technology Firm Goowy Media
IT News Online Staff
2008-02-04
AOL announced that it has acquired Goowy Media Inc., a widget development and analytics tools company based in San Diego, Calif. Goowy will operate as a wholly owned unit of AOL, as part of the company's Products division.
Founded in 2004, Goowy offers a technology platform and related analytics tools that facilitate widget creation, syndication and reporting. In addition, the platform also offers a widget-based advertising solution, which enables a dynamic ad unit that includes real time content and provides a rich media experience with greater interactivity than traditional online ads.
The company also offers a consumer destination gallery, www.yourminis.com, which allows users to discover widgets for their blog, Web site, startpage or desktop.
Prior to the acquisition, AOL worked with Goowy to provide original widgets for myAOL. Other clients that have used Goowy to develop custom widgets include large media companies, top destination sites and popular start-ups. As a result of the rich analytics tools available as part of the Goowy platform, clients are able to better understand how their widgets are being used, allowing them to serve their users more relevant advertising.
"Consumers are increasingly creating their own online experiences and Goowy's widget technology will allow us to reach audiences wherever they are," said Ron Grant, President and COO of AOL. "This acquisition adds a new facet of widget-based advertising to our robust set of solutions available through Platform-A."
"We are excited about joining the AOL family," said Alex Bard, CEO and co-founder of Goowy. "The platform and services we've built are an obvious fit with AOL's ad-supported Web strategy, and we look forward to expanding our widget offerings across the AOL network."
Goowy was founded by Alex Bard, Gary Benitt, Jeremy Suriel and Sashi Bommakanty. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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