We first covered Onavo back in August of 2011, when the app debuted as a way to help users extend their data plans through their compression proxy servers managing your data (the app also allowed Canadian users to access Pandora). The Israeli company since then has had amazing success with their range of apps and this morning announced they have been acquired by Facebook to assist in the latter’s goal of spreading internet usage around the world:
We’re excited to join their team, and hope to play a critical role in reaching one of Internet.org’s most significant goals – using data more efficiently, so that more people around the world can connect and share. When the transaction closes, we plan to continue running the Onavo mobile utility apps as a standalone brand. As always, we remain committed to the privacy of people who use our application and that commitment will not change.
Onavo’s Tel-Aviv office will now become Facebook’s Israeli office and will continue to operate as normal, as well as their iOS and Android apps which will continue to operate as normal.
A Facebook spokeswoman told the WSJ the following:
“We expect Onavo’s data-compression technology to play a central role in our mission to connect more people to the Internet, and their analytic tools will help us provide better, more efficient mobile products,”
It’s amazing to see how these small startups end up being acquired by Internet giants. Congrats to the Onavo team.
