Retaining the management team and employees was a key part of the $23 million deal that saw Austin, Texas-based app designer Phunware acquire TapIt Media Group in Irvine.
“There’s nothing broken on either side,” said Alan Knitowski, a former OCer who now heads up Phunware.
Giancarlo Maniaci, TapIt’s cofounder and chief executive, will take the role of executive vice president and general manager of the newly dubbed TapIt by Phunware.
TapIt Chief Technology Officer Chris Richards will take the position of chief architect under Phunware CTO Luan Dang.
Justin Barr, cofounder and chief operating officer of TapIt, takes the position of vice president of performance advertising under the new owner.
The deal, which closed in late December, adds about 35 employees, an expansive customer network, and key technologies for monetizing mobile advertisements to Phunware.
TapIt’s office in Irvine is expected to continue to operate alongside a Phunware office in Santa Ana. They hope to consolidate offices; a permanent location hasn’t been decided.
TapIt supports more than 6 billion ad impressions per month in more than 220 countries. Its applications run on Apple Inc.’s and Google Inc.’s Android mobile operating systems and allows users to customize ad campaigns, build banner ads and offer loyalty rewards, among other services.
TapIt’s system, which includes more than 30,000 customers, will be the core of Phunware’s advertising platform.
Phunware targets Fortune 100 companies with its cloud and infrastructure services. It counts the NFL, Amazon, Qualcomm, Samsung and Disney among its big customers.
“They can now get more comprehensive solutions all in one place, and not have to find 15 partners and 15 software development kits,” said Knitowski, who served as chairman of Newport Beach-based technology outsourcing company Caneum Inc. from 2003 to 2009.
Knitowski declined to provide financial data for either company or terms of the deal.
Broadcom’s 5G Chips
Irvine-based Broadcom Corp.’s 5G chips are set to power Wi-Fi connectivity on Apple Inc.’s new Mac lineup, according to the highly tracked tech blog The Next Web.
A company spokesperson declined to comment on the partnership.
Broadcom introduced its first 5G chip set for PCs and access points about a year ago at the International Consumer Electronics Show. It told the Business Journal in April that initial targets were modems, gateways and routers, with plans to move into computers and set-top boxes later in the year.
It set early 2013 for the introduction of its 5G Wi-Fi chips for the mobile-phone and tablet market, setting up a head-to-head battle with San Diego-based rival Qualcomm Corp.
The competition is bound to be fierce—the next generation of Wi-Fi chips promise extended battery life for smart phones and tablets, along with seamless and simultaneous connectivity in the home for multiple devices, and speeds three times faster than the current standard.
The latest Broadcom-Apple pact shouldn’t come as a big surprise.
The Cupertino-based consumer electronics company accounted for 13.1% of Broadcom’s nearly $7.4 billion in revenue in 2011.
Broadcom makes communications, radio and touch-screen chips that go into Apple’s iPods, iPhones, iPads and MacBook Airs, among other products.
In other Broadcom news, the company’s recently introduced chip geared for data centers and cloud computing connectivity garnered a Product of the Year recognition from industry trade pub Electronic Products Magazine.
Art of Blizzard
Blizzard Entertainment Inc. fans and art lovers will get the best of both worlds at a new exhibit running at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra.
The gallery rung in the New Year with The Art of Blizzard Entertainment Book Launch and Art Exhibition, which runs from Jan. 12 to Feb. 3.
More than 50 pieces of art from the Irvine-based video game maker will be featured from its wildly popular Diablo, StarCraft and World of Warcraft franchises.
There will be a $5 entrance fee at the door, although guests in costume will get in for free.
The exhibit should drum up some local buzz for the newly released book, which provides a glimpse into the company’s humble beginnings from a three-man console development studio to its ascension as one of the world’s largest video game makers with more than $1.2 billion in annual sales.
The book showcases the company’s top artists and more than 700 pieces of concept art, paintings and sketches.
