Thursday, June 15, 2017

Brief: Slack aims to raise $500m as big tech firms mull over buyout

Slack logo on laptop

Photo credit: Giorgio Minguzzi.

The news:

  • Slack is aiming to raise US$500 million in an ongoing funding round. If the company hits its target, it will have an estimated valuation of close to US$5 billion.
  • The “virtual office” platform has attracted interest from potential buyers including Amazon, Microsoft, and Salesforce.

Why it matters:

  • The money that Slack raises is likely to be invested in artificial intelligence for automation and a larger platform developer system. The company wants to attract a wider range of corporate clients, so these measures are intended to make its office-oriented messaging service more secure and to assuage privacy concerns.
  • The funding round could be a prelude to a buyout offer. When a particularly promising startup is engaged in fundraising, larger tech companies will often make an approach before the round closes in order to give the acquisition target more options.

Source: Recode.

This post Brief: Slack aims to raise $500m as big tech firms mull over buyout appeared first on Tech in Asia.



from Tech in Asia https://www.techinasia.com/slack-aiming-raise-500m-prior-big-tech-buyout
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