BlackBerry swoops for London mobile software startup Movirtu
BLACKBERRY, the struggling smartphone maker, has bought London-based startup Movirtu, a firm that makes software that allows users to have multiple phone numbers on the same device.
BlackBerry yesterday said the move would help it target smartphone users who increasingly use a single device for personal calls and business.
Chief executive John Chen said: “In a BYOD [bring your own device] and COPE [corporate-owned personally-enabled] world, there remain a number of efficiency and convenience challenges facing enterprises, employees and mobile operators alike.”
Movirtu is a six-year-old startup backed by Gray Ghost Ventures and TLcom Capital Partners and already has partnerships with a number of firms. including HP and IBM. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.