We're three months into 2019, and LA's already got deals. According to public records, roughly 50 LA-based tech companies have been in the business of acquiring this year — and one of those companies has done so three times over.
Here are six of the most interesting acquisitions made by LA companies so far this year.
Crossover Health buys Sherppaa
TL;DR: New generation health provider Crossover Health acquired Sherpaa, which helps direct employees to the resources they need to keep their insurance claims low.
What Crossover does: Crossover Health is a primary care health provider based in Aliso Viejo that’s popular among tech companies like Facebook and LinkedIn. A “next generation” health company, Crossover facilitates office hours and clinic services directly on a company’s campus.
Acquisitions to date: 1
Who Crossover acquired: Sherpaa is an NYC-based online service that helps employees figure out what they need and whether their insurance covers it while reducing the number of claims that need to be filed — keeping costs lows.
When: Feb. 7, 2019
Details: Sherpaa will become a subsidiary of Crossover Health as part of the deal.
CalAmp buys TRACKER
TL;DR: Telematics provider CalAmp acquired U.K. location device company TRACKER for $13 million.
What CalAmp does: Based in Irvine, CalAmp is a telematics provider that helps streamline deployments of various IoT solutions (e.g. helping your smart fridge talk to your smart generator talk to your smart alarm clock). The company launched in 1981 and employs between 500 and 1000 people.
Acquisitions to date: 10
Who CalAmp acquired: TRACKER’s signature product is a locator that combines GPS, GSM and VHF to help discover stolen vehicles anywhere — even those hidden underground or in shipping containers. The U.K.-based company works closely with a number of police departments in the U.S.
When: Feb. 26, 2019
Details: CalAmp acquired TRACKER for $13 million. TRACKER will become a subsidiary of CalAmp as part of the deal.
Live Nation buys Neste Event Marketing (+2 more)
TL;DR: E-commerce and events behemoth Live Nation acquired three companies: two foreign concert promoters and an event marketing group out of Tennessee.
What Live Nation does: Based in Beverly Hills, Live Nation employs thousands between its four tent pole businesses: Ticketmaster.com, Live Nation Concerts, Front Line Management Group and Live Nation Network. In other words, the company owns everything it needs to manage talent, put on concerts, facilitate online ticket sales and stream it all online.
Acquisitions to date: 33
Who Live Nation acquired first: One Production, a concert promoter in Singapore that’s been around since 2007.
When: Jan. 28, 2019
Details: OneProduction will become a subsidiary of Live Nation as part of the deal.
Who Live Nation acquired next: Planet Events, a concert promoter out of Madrid that focuses solely on Latin artists.
When: Feb. 6, 2019
Details: Undisclosed
Who Live Nation acquired after that: Neste Event Marketing, a full-service event marketing company based in Brentwood, Tennessee.
When: Feb. 13, 2019
Details: Undisclosed
Songtradr buys Big Sync Music
TL;DR: Global online music licensing marketplace Songtradr acquired a boutique music strategy consultancy out of the U.K.
What Songtradr does: Songradr is a global online music licensing marketplace for films, TV shows, ads, apps and other media. The company was founded in 2014 and is based in sunny Santa Monica.
Acquisitions to date: 1
Who Songtradr acquired: Big Sync Music is a boutique music agency based out of the U.K. The company provides strategic, creative and procurement expertise to brands and labels.
When: Feb. 19, 2019
Details: Big Sync Music will become a subsidiary of Songtradr as part of the deal.
Zenlayer buys DAHO Networks
TL;DR: Shanghai and LA-based IT management company Zenlayer acquired China-based DAHO Networks.
What Zenlayer does: Zenlayer is a centralized IT management solution headquartered in Los Angeles (Diamond Bar) and Shanghai, with offices across Asia. The company provides globalized IT help through a single portal, helping companies to streamline their IT needs.
Acquisitions to date: 2
Who Zenlayer acquired: DAHO Networks is a software-defined networking platform based in Hangzhou that uses open APIs and other technologies to help enterprises connect their offices, data centers and public clouds.
When: Feb. 14, 2019
Details: Details of the deal are still pending.
Issuance buys CrowdfundX
TL;DR: Issuance, a platform that matches digital securities issuers with investors, acquired CrowdfundX, creator of Dara, an investor marketing engine.
What Issuance does: Issuance is a deal marketing platform that matches digital securities issuers with interested investors. What is are digital securities? Digital securities are an alternative to ICOs and offer investors liquidity, 24/7 trading and access to a global pool of investor capital. The LA-based company opened in 2018.
Acquisitions to date: 1
Who Issuance acquired: CrowdfundX is a fintech marketing firm that uses AI and digital marketing to build Dara, the world's first AI investor marketing engine. The LA-based company launched in 2015.
When: Feb. 7, 2019
Details: CrowdfundX will become a subsidiary of Issuance as part of the deal.
