The Internet news media outfit, BuzzFeed, has acquired New York-based startup, Torando Labs for an undisclosed amount, early this week, in-line with BuzzFeed’s strategy to invest in technology and its plans to acquire and fuel new companies and technologies.
“To build a modern media company, data and technology have to be core to culture and success. We are excited about bringing on Torando Labs to build the next generation of real-time data systems that will power future BuzzFeed products. This strategic investment will allow BuzzFeed to innovate and scale both editorial and business operations. Their renowned experience in large-scale data infrastructure combined with their deep knowledge of how content moves on the social web makes Torando Labs a perfect addition to BuzzFeed,” said Mark Wilkie, CTO.
Although financial details of the the deal were not disclosed, Todd Levy, the former Bitly Co-Founder and Torando Labs CEO will head a new data engineering team as VP of Data Engineering, with CTO Matt Reiferson and software engineers Taylor Baldwin and Will McCutchen of Tornado also joining with intentions to further expand and grow BuzzFeed’s data architecture and tools. Levy and team will leverage their experience building and scaling data systems at Bitly to enhance BuzzFeed’s data systems and expand the ways BuzzFeed uses data technology, reports a press release announcing the acquisition.
“BuzzFeed has proven time and again that they understand what it takes to build creative and engaging products that delight their users,” said Todd Levy, VP, Data Engineering. “The Torando Labs team is thrilled to bring its practical experience to bear in order to accelerate the company’s plans across a wide array of initiatives.”
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(Image credit: Buzzfeed)
