TOP M&A of 2013 in order to undestand future trends

1.  Google has acquired robotics engineering company Boston Dynamics

2. oDesk to merge with Elance. Just as Amazon reinvented retail, and Apple iTunes transformed the music industry, together oDesk and Elance will revolutionize the way we work. This merger will create unprecedented freedom for people to find job opportunities regardless of their location, and will allow businesses of all sizes to more easily access the best available talent.
Global staffing is a $422 billion market (according to Staffing Industry Analysts) that we believe is ripe for reinvention. Online work, any type of work that can be done via the Internet, is an emerging sector within it that SIA predicts will reach $5 billion by 2018.

3. Google has acquired mobile navigation application firm Waze

Google has acquired mobile navigation application firm Waze. The deal is worth $1.3bn, according to news agency Reuters. The Tel-Aviv start up uses live maps with real-time traffic updates, a feature Google is keen to integrate into its own offerings.

“The Waze product development team will remain in Israel and operate separately for now,” explained Brian McClendon, vice president of Google’s Geo product family. “We’re excited about the prospect of enhancing Google Maps with some of the traffic update features provided by Waze and enhancing Waze with Google’s search capabilities.”

4. Amazon has acquired TenMarks, an edtech computer program that teaches math to grades K-12. It’s part of a big wave in edtech these days:robot teachers. American Institutes for Research argues that personalized learning environments are the next wave of K–12 education reform. “Adaptive learning” is another term for the same trend.

Software like TenMarks is riding the same big data trends we’re seeing impact other fields, from recruitment and hiring to health and fitness. Students do their assignments in the program, which tracks their performance. The resulting data can be used to tailor lessons to individuals, instead of trying to fit all students in the same box. Furthermore, since the programs monitor the students’ progress, grade their assignments, and provide new lessons when students are confused, they take a lot of the work out of the teacher’s lap. Teachers can use extra time developing their in-class lessons, or checking in one-on-one to support students who are struggling.

5. Google Ventures made a $258 million investment in Uber earlier this year

6. Q&A platform Answers is announcing a big acquisition and fundraising tonight–the company is buying customer experience analytics companyForeSee, and just raised $300 million in new funding in equity from existing investors, including Summit Partners, TA Associates, AFCV and others; and in debt from SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and Silicon Valley Bank. We’ve heard that Answers paid north of $200 million for ForeSee, which raised around $20 million in funding.