Irish retail search startup is acquired by Google
Dublin retail technology company Pointy has been acquired by tech giant Google.
Pointy provides smaller retailers with an electronic box that connects to their barcode scanners that make their product listings appear in Google searches.
It helps such stores get found by people who are doing searches for products in their location without having to make a large e-commerce investment.
The company was founded in 2014 by Mark Cummins and Charles Bibby.
Google or Pointy did not disclose the value of the deal, which is expected to close in the coming weeks. However, a venture capitalist in London, Rob Moffatt congratulated Pointy of their "$160m exit to Google".
Pointy said they have developed a close relationship with Google in recent years.
The last six years have been an incredible adventure, and today marks the start of a new chapter. From small beginnings, we’re very proud to serve local retailers in almost every city and every town in the US and throughout Ireland.
"Many incredibly talented people have joined our team, we’ve received the backing of an amazing group of investors, and formed some fantastic partnerships. It is a great pleasure to work on something that helps local businesses in towns and cities everywhere.
Pointy said that by joining forces, they will be able to help people discover local stores and products on a much larger scale.
"We think this is the right way to accomplish what we set out to do – to bring the world’s retailers online and give them the tools they need to thrive," they said in a blog post.
In a statement, Google said they have long been committed to helping small businesses grow and thrive in the online world.
"Since we introduced this functionality a few years ago, Pointy has been one of our key partners, helping thousands of local merchants display this data within Google.
We’re looking forward to working with Pointy to help even more local retailers bring their product inventory online."
