Photo messaging app Snapchat has acquired an Israeli artificial intelligence startup named Cimagine for reportedly between $30 to $40 million dollars. Cimagine lets consumers instantly visualize products that they want to buy in their intended location.
According to Calcalist News, Snapchat's developer company, Snap, will open a development center in the Middle East after the acquisition where the company will house more than the twenty people currently working at Cimagine Media.
Cimagine, which was founded four years ago, not only specializes in real-time image processing, computer vision, mobile development, and international marketing but is also involved in eCommerce.
The acquisition is expected to help Snapchat, which is extremely reliant on augmented reality, since it is reportedly aiming for an IPO in March 2017, that could value the company between $20-$25 billion. Facilitating shopping through Snapchat might also open up additional revenue opportunities for the company.
Cimagine, which has partnerships with giants like Shop Direct, John Lewis, and Coca-Cola, is aiming to help more retailers tap into the potential of augmented reality. With this new acquisition, Snap might eventually want to strike partnerships with big box retailers and department stores to accelerate engagement and time spent on its site, Venture Beat reported. With Cimagine now a part of Snap, Snapchat might start including laying objects over its photos and videos as well.
Before the acquisition, Cimagine had raised an undisclosed amount of funding from PLUS Ventures, iVentures Asia Ltd., Explore. Dream. Discover and OurCrowd. This acquisition is Snap's second in this month following the purchase of the company Flite to integrate its ad technology. Snap had also made a lot of other deals this year including the purchase of Obvious Engineering (also known as Seene), $110 million deal for Vurb, and the $100 million deal for Bitstrips.
Snap and Cimagine Media are yet to officially comment on the reported deal.