Last year, Eric Schmidt has promised to buy a start up a month as Google re-kindles its M&A activities. Aardvark and reMail were the most recent buys and now, several sources report that theIsraeli start-up Catch Media may be next.
Catch Media’s “Play Anywhere” technology enables users to access media stored in their home computers (digital movies, music, books, etc) through a range of devices, including mobile phones, DVRs and car media players. At this stage, the company is focusing
According to CNET, the potential acquisition is part of Google’s effort to take the iTunes model to the cloud:
If Google did acquire the company, it could help the search giant keep pace with Apple’s expected efforts to take iTunes to cloud computing… Conceivably, Catch is one way Google could equip Android cellphone owners with a means to access their iTunes music libraries.
Catch Media was founded in 2003 by two brothers, Yaacov and Boaz Ben-Yaacov. Yaacov previously founded PictureVision, a start up sold to Kodak in 1998 for $150 million. Catch Media is headquartered in LA and has its development center based in Jerusalem. According to Haaretz, Jonathan Medved, founder of Vringo and the former manager of the Israel Seed fund, is one of the company’s investors.
I'm a former general partner at google ventures, head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe and founding head of Campus London, Google's first physical hub for startups.
I'm also the founder of Techbikers, a non-profit bringing together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read. Since inception in 2012 we've built 11 schools and 50 libraries in the developing world.
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