Tech Town, NC

Durham, NC company Motricity has acquired Inofspace Inc’s mobile services unit for approximately $135 million in cash. The deal brings together two of the major players in the mobile software and content delivery sector.

Motricity comes out of this looking like a force to be reckoned with, boasting the software that powers the start screen of 5 of the top 6 carriers in North America, as well as delivering content to 9 of the top 13 carriers in North America. Their software also forms the backbone of mobile storefronts for 9 of the 13 carriers.

Motricity also gains a strong European foothold via Infospace’s European offices in the UK, the Netherlands, and Paris. From the press release it appears that Motricity aims to maintain most or all existing Infospace offices, including the Bellevue Washington offices. Headquarters for Morticity will remain in Durham, NC, and Ryan Wuerch will remain as Chairman and CEO. Steve Elfman of Infospace Mobile will become President and Chief Operating Officer at Motricity.

Motricity has been aggressive in pursuing growth and has raised significant venture capital (approximately $200 million to date). The last round of funding was led by Carl Icahn and Advanced Equities, Inc and provided significant funds for this acquisition. Icahn is no fool, so it’s no surprise that this acquisition looks like a sensible move for an increasingly mature company. The acquisition itself will take 90 days for regulatory approval, and the company itself will take time to be integrated, but this definitely looks more and more like a company that is preparing for its close up. Is an IPO that far off?