Google Acquires Sigmoid Labs

Online search engine colossus, Google has acquired Sigmoid Labs, parent company of the popular train tracking app, Where Is My Train. No deal value has been put forth by either Google or Sigmoid, the Bangalore-based startup app. Media reports claim a deal size of about $30 and $40 million. This transaction is one of the first all-stock acquisitions by Google in India.

Developed in 2016, Where Is My Train app was founded by five former employees of TiVo Corporation, a technology entertainment company in the US. The startup reportedly has a team of ten people based in Bangalore. The app is said to have notched up 10 million plus downloads on Android.

The app lets its users check live train status without internet connectivity. It has also become the number one app in the ‘Travel and Local’ section of Google Play Store in India. The app is available in several Indian languages including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

A post from Sigmoid Labs reads, “We’re excited to share that Sigmoid Labs, the team behind the ‘Where is my train’ app, is joining Google. We can think of no better place to help us achieve our mission, and we’re excited to join Google to help bring technology and information into more people’s hands.”

The post further adds, “We created the ‘Where is my train’ app with the mission to use technology to improve the lives of millions of Indian train travelers. Over time, we’ve improved the app to make it even more convenient and useful, and we’re thrilled with the response that we’ve gotten from users. The confidence that our users have placed in us is what makes us so excited to think even bigger.”

Samvad Partners led by partner Natasha Mahajan and senior associate Samyuktha Damojipurapu advised Sigmoid Labs Pvt. Ltd., and its founders.

J. Sagar Associates (JSA), Bangalore advised Google.