Round-up: These Dutch tech startup acquisitions made big news in 2018

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The startup ecosystem in the Netherlands had been on fire in 2018. There have been several funding rounds and acquisitions in the business space in the country. A startup that has received investment will make use of the funding for various purposes such as expansion, development of services and products and more. When it comes to acquisitions, either a part or the whole company will come under the control of the investor and will work accordingly.

Every year, we come across various news related to acquisitions. Today, here we have listed some of the notable acquisitions that took place in the Netherlands.

#1 i3D.net

Founder: Stijn Koster
Founded: 2002
Acquired by Ubisoft in December 2018

Rotterdam-based i3D.net was acquired by Ubisoft earlier this month. The game server hosting provider i3D.net was acquired with the intention of improving the online and multiplayer experiences. However, the details of the acquisition remain undisclosed. With the acquisition, i3D.net gets an opportunity to increase its global reach.

#2 Travelbird

Founders: Symen Jansma and Dennis Klompalberts
Founded: 2010
Acquired by Secret Escapes in November 2018

British online travel group Secret Escapes acquired TravelBird. The acquisition includes the intellectual property, the Travelbird brand, the IT platform, its customer base and logos. This acquisition came after Amsterdam-based Travelbird suspended its operation due to financial insolvency.

#3 SecurityMatters

Founders: Damiano Bolzoni, Emmanuele Zambon and Sandro Etalle
Founded: 2009
Acquired by ForeScout in November 2018

SecurityMatters based in Eindhoven was acquired by ForeScout recently for $113 million. Supported by leading accelerator EIT Digital, it provides a solution tracing cyber-attacks and monitors critical information systems. SecurityMatters will reinforce its agentless device visibility and control and expand its capabilities with this acquisition.

#4 Mendix

Founders: Derckjan Kruit and Derek Roos
Founded: 2005
Acquired by Siemens in August 2018

Rotterdam-based Mendix was acquired by Siemens for €628 million. Notably, this is claimed to be one of the biggest acquisitions in the Dutch startup ecosystem. In addition to the acquisition, Siemens is likely to invest in Mendix for development purposes. Mendix sells software for companies to build apps and websites easier, faster and intuitive using visual models.

#5 Newzoo

Founders: Peter Warman and Thijs Hagoort
Founded: 2007
Acquired by Advance in October 2018

Advance, a media and communications company has acquired a majority stake in Newzoo, a game and exports analytics firm. While the amount of acquisition remains undisclosed, Newzoo joins the wide variety of other business interests of Advance.

Stay tuned to Silicon Canals for more updates in the tech startup world.

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