Italian data startup Audiens acquired by Bango for €1.48 million

Audiens, a data management startup from Italy, has been acquired by US mobile payments firm Bango for €1.48 million.

Publicly-listed Bango has acquired 98.45% of the company from digital marketing group Digitouch, with an additional €630,000 to be paid one year after the deal closes.

The deal will help Bango, a payments platform for merchants, to capitalise on the data its services already generate through the data analysis features on the Bango Platform. The acquisition will accelerate Bango’s data strategy by 12-18 months it said with an expected additional £1 million in revenue in 2018.

“Mobile operators are eager to find new ways to improve their monetization of data – in ways that respect user privacy and comply with regulations,” said Ray Anderson, CEO of Bango.

“Merchants want to grow sales faster and reach new customers more efficiently. The combined platform will provide customer insights to merchants, advertising partners, and mobile network operators, to drive consumer engagement and revenue,” he said.

Audiens cofounder Marko Maras will continue to oversee this side of the business.