US-based social network Twitter is in talks to acquire India-based mobile marketing startup ZipDial for $30m to $40m, granting an exit to internet company Times Internet, Techcrunch reported yesterday.
ZipDial offers a mobile marketing strategy that exploits a loophole in mobile phone usage in India, which allows people to signal others for free by calling them and hanging up before the call is answered. ZipDial uses the signalling technique as the basis for commercial actions and tracking analytics.
A second company, possibly Facebook, is also considering an acquisition of ZipDial, another source told TechCrunch.
Twitter could potentially use the company’s technology to engage with logged out and casual users of its service, possibly by letting users set up alerts for tweets from specific people.
ZipDial would be Twitter’s first acquisition in India, following in the footsteps of internet giants Facebook, which bought app performance analyser LittleEye Labs in January 2014, and Yahoo, which purchased online file editing and collaboration software developer Bookpad in September.
Times Internet invested in ZipDial in 2012 alongside 500 Startups. ZipDial, which has raised undisclosed amounts in three funding rounds, also received backing from Mumbai Angels in 2011 and Jungle Ventures in 2013.
ZipDial’s customers include mass media corporation Disney and soft drinks company Pepsi.