Import.io acquires Connotate

Import.io, a developer of tools that can automatically scrape and process web data, is acquiring enterprise data extraction company Connotate.

The deal, Import.io CEO Gary Read said, will enable it to scale and meet “fast-growing” enterprise demand, bolster its IP (Connotate has eight patents to its name), and allow it to “further solidify” its leadership in the market.

“With Connotate, Import.io is acquiring blue-chip enterprise customers, innovative technology and outstanding domain expertise, further establishing us as the undisputed leader in Web Data Integration,” Read said.

Import.io will retain almost all of Connotate’s employees (about 30 people), and consolidate the company’s technology into a solution that’ll be available to all of its current customers.

Additionally, Import.io will migrate Connotate’s 70 clients — among them Dow Jones, Cox Automotive, and Capital One Services — into its customer base, which will stand at 850 post-acquisition.

Vincent Sgro, founder of Connotate, will assume the role of chief scientist at Import.io. He’ll be joined by Kelley Scott and Gina Cerami, who will be appointed director of software engineering and vice president of marketing, respectively.

“We are thrilled to be joining Import.io. This is a great opportunity for our customers, our employees and our success,” said Sgro. “We’ve competed against Import.io for a long time and were always very impressed by their leadership and continued success. Joining forces means bigger and better things for both our customers and theirs.”

Import.io employs machine-driven software that not only extracts data, but prepares and integrates it into customers’ analytics platforms and business applications — in essence transforming websites into APIs. The company’s data-crawling suite boasts features such as the ability to merge info from multiple sources and create a common schema, in addition to various reporting and visualization functions.

For more information about this news, visit www.import.io.