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ARM Holdings, Swiftkey, Magic Pony and Encription: A year in UK tech acquisitions

acquisitions-uk-tech

Skyscanner, one of Scotland’s few billion-dollar tech companies, announced its acquisition by Chinese travel company Ctip today in a deal worth £1.4bn.

The Edinburgh-based firm, which landed tech unicorn status (sorry!) in January following a $192m raise, is the latest in a string of UK founded technology businesses to have been sold throughout 2016.

Although a buyout may not be on every startup founder’s agenda, the truth is that tech giants like Microsoft and Blackberry are loosening their purse-strings and investing in small and established technology firms.

So, who’s been bought and by whom? Here are some of the top tech acquisitions to have taken place so far this year:

1. ARM Holdings

Cambridge-based semiconductor firm ARM Holdings was bought by Japanese telecommunications and internet corporation firm Softbank in September....