Microsoft announced today that it is acquiring San Francisco-based Mobile Data Labs, maker of popular mileage-tracking app MileIQ.
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Mobile Data Labs was founded by Dan Bomze and Chuck Dietrich in 2011 and its mileage app, which has been the top grossing finance app on the iOS App Store for 20 months now, counts more than 1 million users.
Why this matters: You could argue that buying MDL means Microsoft is buying an app for Windows Phone, but that hasn’t been Microsoft’s track record of late. “With the addition of Mobile Data Labs, Microsoft gained not only a unique and compelling product, but also a team that is seasoned, high differentiated, and fired up to execute”, he wrote.
“By partnering with Microsoft, our horizon and momentum are now even bigger-and our ability to deliver excellent products, delightful experiences and personalized service is greater than ever”.
Also, he noted, the two companies share similar goals and have a shared vision. “Microsoft’s ambition to reinvent personal productivity and business processes couldn’t be more aligned with our goals”. Investors include CRV, Salesforce cofounder and chief executive Marc Benioff, and SV Angel. The team will join the Office and Outlook team and continue to develop the app, along with other mobile productivity software.
Similarly, the Mobile Data Labs team today writes that it hopes to continue to build “services for self-directed workers-services like MileIQ that are automated, intuitive and give users back time, money and peace of mind”.
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Microsoft correctly positioned the acquisition as one that embodied its “mobile first, cloud first” ideal of pairing mobile technologies like the smartphone in conjunction with a cloud service.
