GV, the corporate venturing arm of internet and technology group Alphabet, has exited US-based traffic data provider Urban Engines, along with electronics manufacturer Samsung, through an acquisition by its parent company.
Urban Engines has developed big data technology that collects and analyses commuting behaviour patterns through means such as GPS usage on smartphones. The platform, named Warp, is able to process large-scale traffic flows and help reduce congestion.
GV, then known as Google Ventures, led a seed round of undisclosed size for Urban Engines in 2014, investing together with Samsung’s strategic investment subsidiary, Samsung Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, SV Angel, Greylock Partners and angel investors Eric Schmidt and Ram Shriram.
Alphabet will integrate the technology and team into its Google Maps product, which already collects information on current traffic and uses that data to calculate the quickest journey times.
Urban Engines said in a blog post announcing the acquisition that its team will develop new products with Google Maps post-acquisition.