UK mobile app management company, Airnow, has acquired Madrid based mobile growth services provider, Lab Cave.
This deal is the latest in a line of high-profile acquisitions by the expanding British firm, which acquired MightySignal in July 2021, along with Priori Data, Airpush and Abilott over the last five years.
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London mobile app developer acquires Spanish firm

A London app management firm has announced its acquisition of an American mobile intelligence firm in a multi-million dollar deal. Airnow, which provides global solutions to help publishers scale their apps, has acquired mobile app and SDK intelligence provider, MightySignal, based in the US. This is the most recent in a series of acquisitions for Airnow, which in the past five years has purchased Priori Data, Airpush and Abilott. Both companies have said that the acquisition will allow them to expand, with MightySignal commenting that it will benefit from the more detailed data Airnow provides, and Airnow noting the benefits of MightySignal’s SDK detection technology. James Eggleston, co-founder and COO at Airnow, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Ryan and his fantastic team of highly skilled specialists to the Airnow family. “Our business exists to benefit developers at every stage of their journey, and as the mobile app industry continues to grow at a tremendous rate, the addition of MightySignal and its unique benefits will only serve to power our customers’ capabilities. “MightySignal offers a primary source of SDK intelligence, with the firm extracting data without reliance on third parties. “This proprietary SDK detection technology, combined with the app store data scraping capabilities from AppMonsta, which the business acquired in February 2020, is a perfect fit with Airnow’s growth goals.”
Ryan Buckley, CEO of MightySignal, added: “We’re excited to have finally found a partner who believes in the importance of accurate mobile intelligence as much as we do. “MightySignal entered the mobile data market as a leader in SDK intelligence and we recognised that to best serve our customers, we needed to offer more detailed app and publisher data. Under the Airnow Group, we can finally fulfill that vision.”
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London app management specialist acquires US data firm in multi-million dollar deal

As part of IL Tech in NY in collaboration with Israeli Mapped in NY, IoT cybersecurity company Firedome discusses what Israelis can take into the office - and what should be left behind
CTech 15:5325.02.21
“While trying to speak ‘American’ and fitting in, don’t forget your Israeli Chutzpah,” say the executives from IoT cybersecurity company Firedome. “Hustle and use it to get the intro, and to land the deal. We’re Israeli, we have this superpower - use it.”
 
It can be hard for any person to cross oceans and set up a business in a foreign culture. While there are etiquettes to adopt, it’s also important to take some of your local attitudes with you. Just make sure not to bring too much. “That said, be professional,” advise Moti Shkolnik, Sharon Mirsky, and Orr Chen. “Don’t be late for meetings. Come prepared, send follow-up emails on time, be process-oriented, and be respectful to everyone involved.”
 
Firedome has joined CTech for IL Tech in NY to discuss some of the nuances that need to be carefully balanced if you intend to take your company - and its culture - overseas. Number of employees and whether the company is active in other locations: 35 team members spread across our three sites New York City, Tel Aviv, and Minsk. Names of investors/VC backers: Two Sigma Ventures, World Trade Ventures, Silverstein Ventures, as well as private investors from the computer electronics industry. Moti served as a Brigadier General in the Israeli Defense Forces. With 15 years of cybersecurity and R&D leadership experience, he headed the Cyber Division directly under the Office of the Prime Minister, putting him at the forefront of Israel’s national cybersecurity. In addition to Moti’s work at Firedome, He is a cybersecurity advisor for one of the largest VCs in Israel as well as a member of the UL 2900 Security Standard Technical Panel that defines global cybersecurity standards for IoT devices and manufacturers. Prior to founding Firedome, Sharon was the CEO of Kyozou Inc. Sharon also co-founded and ran operations at ICONYC labs, which was the first startup accelerator for Israeli startups in New York City. Sharon has over 15 years of experience in technology and management with a deep focus on software startups, cybersecurity, and telecommunications. Sharon is an alumnus of the Israeli elite intelligence Unit 8200. Prior to founding Firedome, Orr was a co-founder and CTO at PushApps, a monetization platform for mobile push notifications that was acquired by AirPush in 2017. Orr has vast experience in software development on mobile, web, and cloud, both as a manager and as a developer, working with startups and enterprises and helping them build scalable full-stack solutions. Related Stories:
 
The IoT market has been poised for explosive growth for a few years, yet, while growing exponentially, it has not produced the growth numbers that were expected. The largest hindrance to growth is the privacy and security concerns from all sides. Firedome is driving a revolution in the IoT device space by providing an advanced end-to-end monitored cybersecurity platform for devices, users, and brands. We provide brands with the tools required to protect their devices while leveraging security to grow their business exponentially. Our advanced cybersecurity offering is unmatched and we are working with some of the largest brands in the world to drive a new standard of privacy and security for all connected devices. Why New York? What advantages does it offer? How does the market differ from Israel? How does the competition differ? While serving as Head of Cybersecurity at Israel’s Security Agency, Firedome Co-Founder and CEO, Moti Shkolnik, learned just how easy it is for attackers to gain access to IoT devices. His hands-on experience on the offensive side taught him the severity of the collateral damage such breaches pose. The IoT market was growing rapidly in the USA and to be part of this fast-moving industry, it was important to be in the epicenter of the growth. In the summer of 2017, Moti moved to New York City with his family where he met Sharon Mirsky who was already living in New York City and together with Orr Chen, decided to establish Firedome. As for competition, there are a few other competitors that started around the same time as Firedome. That said, the IoT market is vast and our value proposition is unique so we don’t really feel the competition so far. Relationships are key. Unlike Israel, where there is a maximum of two degrees of separation between any two people and you can call your buddy from your army unit to hear about any potential client, employee, or investor, the US. is massive and the way to build trust is through establishing value-oriented relationships. New York is not the U.S. The U.S is huge and people are very different from one state to another and one city to another. Being in New York is being in the center of the world. You have art, technology, the best schools, and an amazing and eclectic population. American Investors will not tell you outright what they think and are polite with business acumen (Israeli investors are blunt and direct). Board meetings with American investors are usually also calm and civil. From our experience with U.S investors, we feel that they have respect for the different roles and values of founders/operators vs. board members. The American VCs we have worked with do not try to take the driver’s seat and enable founders to lead the company and make the operating decisions while they advise and provide support from the sidelines. Utilize the Israeli community. The Israeli Tech Community in New York City is very tight-knit and helpful and any Israeli founder can and should reach out to other founders and startup executives in the city. It saves a lot of time and can truly accelerate success. Learn the subtleties of American feedback to save time and frustration. If someone said it’s very interesting - you will most likely never hear from them again! If someone said they want to ‘do coffee’ - they probably don’t want to speak with you. When you grow your team to non-Israelis remember to only speak English next to them. It can be very hard to crack into Israeli startup culture. Help your team members by speaking English and bridging the cultural gap. For example, if you’d say to an American employee “how about that idea?” they will go ahead and execute it, whereas an Israeli employee will probably debate whether or not this is the right decision. While trying to speak “American” and fitting in, don’t forget your Israeli Chutzpah Hzpa. Hustle and use it to get the intro, and to land the deal. We’re Israeli, we have this superpower - use it. That said, be professional. Don’t be late for meetings. Come prepared, send follow-up emails on time, be process-oriented, and be respectful to everyone involved.

Moving to New York? Don’t forget your Chutzpah!

Airnow PLC 's Philip Marcella pitches to investors at Proactive One2One Virtual Conference. Airnow PLC was created in 2019 following the merge of appScatter and Airpush, aimed to provide an end-to-end SaaS platform for the management and monetisation of mobile apps that meets the needs of app owners, developers and publishers. You understand and agree that no content published on the Site constitutes a recommendation that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy is... In exchange for publishing services rendered by the Company on behalf of Airnow PLC named herein, including the promotion by the Company of Airnow PLC in any Content on the Site, the Company receives from said issuer...

Airnow at the Proactive One2One Virtual Conference

Business has been transformed by Airpush deal 
Second acquisition will be prelude to relisting on stock exchange 
Expected to be solidly profitable this year 
We have seen in the last four or five weeks a massive upturn in traffic and that traffic, in turn, has resulted in an increase in our revenues, which are fully automated. So, we are in a lot better position than many companiees
Philip Marcella, chief executive
It has been an interesting and busy 12 months for the company formerly known as AppScatter. It has changed its name to Airnow following its acquisition of Airpush, which was concluded in mid-December - a deal that moves the group a step closer to being a one-stop-shop for app developers and publishers. This strategy will be further aided by a second purchase, the completion of which late next month should pave the way for a re-listing of the enlarged business. The company’s stock market quote lapsed after six months’ suspension from trading as it carried out due diligence and the other important ancillary work required to complete Airpush the deal. Headed for profitability 
Airnow has crossed the Rubicon: it is break-even and at the current revenue run rate expects to make US$5mln in profits this financial year. The latest acquisition, whose details are being kept under wraps, could double current turnover, pushing annual profits to US$11mln. Fundraising for this deal started a week ago and Airnow already has more than half the cash it requires to close the purchase. “I have to say that this is an excellent performance, particularly in these extraordinary times,” said Philip Marcella, the chief executive. The Airpush marriage, meanwhile, has propelled the company to a new level, not just financially, but operationally too. Scaling up 
The enlarged business is home to 1.3mln developers and publishers, giving the company access to more than 250mln devices through its firmware updater. The group has long-term blue-chip clients such as Amazon, Uber Eats, Domino's Pizza , YOOX, Net-a-Porter, LabCave Games, Bosch and McKinsey. “Both companies had the same goal – to create a one-stop-shop for app developers and publishers to manage their apps,” said CEO Marcella. “I think we are starting to achieve this.”
Practically, this means the company provides distribution and monetisation services for developers and publishers as well as security and data services. Partnerships aid growth
Where it can’t buy and build it will organically grow new offerings for a hungry client base. And of course, there are partnerships such as the agreements it has struck with the payment services platform, Bango, and the digital marketing agency interarrows, which is taking Airnow into Japan. While traditional bricks and mortar businesses have struggled as the coronavirus lockdown has stifled economic activity, Airnow is positively flourishing (though Marcella appears somewhat abashed by the firm’s fortunate predicament). Its workforce was mainly home-based before the outbreak, while the move to a more restricted, sedentary lifestyle has seen an upturn in demand for smartphone and tablet applications. Conducting meetings online has seen a predictable surge in demand for Zoom, the communications platform, though the number is staggering with a month on month 751% increase in downloads via Apple, according to Airnow’s own data. Corona-proof? Knocking Zoom’s performance into a cocked hat is the face-to-face social network app, House Party, with downloads on the Google Play store up 1,500%. “We have seen in the last four or five weeks a massive upturn in traffic and that traffic, in turn, has resulted in an increase in our revenues, which are fully automated,” said Marcella. “So, we are in a lot better position than many companies.”
Airnow’s year has been one of value creation. Its shares were delisted at 17.2p and funds were raised subsequently at 26.8p. After a one-for-five share consolidation they are now worth 134p each. With 80mln shares in circulation, the firm is currently worth 107mln. Where it goes from there is anyone’s guess given the febrile state of the markets; however, those looking for a corona-resistant investment could do far worse than look at Airnow.

Airnow aiming to be the go-to company for app developers and publishers

Provider of graphical and office paper, packaging products, and consumables. The company provides its products to publishers, the public sector, and cleaning companies.

Papyrus

Decentralized Advertising Ecosystem Papyrus Launches Token Sale on October 12, Announces Strategic Partnership with Airpush, Bancor, WINGS, and BitClave, and Presents World-Class Advisors

DeviceAtlas provide device intelligence to several industry verticals ranging from major online brands, advertising platforms, financial services, gaming, analytics and mobile telecoms focused companies. It is based in  Dublin, Ireland.

DeviceAtlas

OpenX is a global provider in digital and mobile advertising technology. OpenX's vision is to unleash the full economic potential of digital media companies. OpenX products, including OpenX Enterprise, OpenX Market, OpenX Lift and JumpTime provide a unique Software-as-a-Service platform by combining ad serving, an ad exchange, a Supply Side Platform and content valuation.

OpenX Software

Airpush

Aterian

Golive! Mobile

Verizon

AdCamie

GetJar

Propel Media

AR/VR

Acquired

Airpush specializes in digital advertising solutions. With platforms integrated into mobile app, mobile web, and virtual reality properties, as well as a consumer data marketplaces, Airpush provides monetization and advertising solutions in the industry.

Date	Round	Amount	Investors	Revenue	Sources
9/12/2019	Acquired		appScatter	0 FY undefined	2
9/6/2017	Unattributed	$99M	Subscribe to see more	0 FY undefined	10
1/4/2011	Seed		Subscribe to see more	0 FY undefined	0

Date	9/12/2019	9/6/2017	1/4/2011
Round	Acquired	Unattributed	Seed
Amount		$99M
Investors	appScatter	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Valuation
Revenue	0 FY undefined	0 FY undefined	0 FY undefined
Sources	2	10	0

First funding	Last Funding	Investor	Rounds	Board Seats	Type	Location
8/15/2016	8/15/2016	STRATACACHE	1 Acquired		Corporation	Ohio
00/00/0000	00/00/0000	Convexa Capital	Subscribe to see more		Venture Capital	Norway

First funding	8/15/2016	00/00/0000
Last Funding	8/15/2016	00/00/0000
Investor	STRATACACHE	Convexa Capital
Rounds	1 Acquired	Subscribe to see more
Board Seats
Type	Corporation	Venture Capital
Location	Ohio	Norway

Date	Investment Stage	Companies	Valuation Valuations are submitted by companies, mined from state filings or news, provided by VentureSource, or based on a comparables valuation model.	Total Funding	Note	Sources
8/3/2018	Other	General Mobile	$99M		Acquired	1
10/10/2013		Subscribe to see more	$99M		Subscribe to see more	10

Wells Fargo Success Story

3M Success Story

Platform Overview

Airpush

Total Raised

Investors Count

Airpush Funding, Airpush Valuation & Airpush Revenue

Airpush Investors

Airpush Acquisitions

2 Acquisitions

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