Will CA or BMC Acquire Apigee?

According to a recent Forrester report, application programming interface (API) management is a fast growing, albeit, relatively recent IT concern. The issue has gained significant importance due to the growing adoption of mobile applications as the means for consumers to shop and access a company’s goods and services. The market is led by CA Technologies, which entered the sector in 2013 with the acquisition of Layer 7 Technologies. But Apigee is also making its mark felt.

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RetailMeNot is Focused on the Beacon

An eMarketer report released in November 2014 estimated that Internet users of ages 18 and above who redeem a digital coupon or code via any device for online or offline shopping at least once per year accounted for 55% of all US Internet users in 2014. The number of adults redeeming coupons via mobile devices is estimated to grow from 78.69 million in 2014 to 104.11 million in 2016. The increased adoption of the digital coupons will also lead to higher couponing by marketers. The researcher predicts that marketers offering digital coupons will grow from 36.5% in 2014 to 44.5% in 2016.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: AppNexus In The IPO 2015 Pipeline

According to a Forrester research report released last year, the online digital display advertising spend in the US is estimated to grow to $37.6 billion by the year 2019, compared with $19.8 billion last year. During the same period, Forrester estimates the offline ad market, which includes channels like the cable TV, radio, and television to grow to $239 billion. Within digital advertising, mobile and video advertising are expected to be high-growth segments. Forrester predicts display ads targeted at smartphones and tablets to contribute nearly 40% of all online display ad spending by 2019 compared with 24.4% in 2014. Billion Dollar Unicorn club member AppNexus is providing the market with services to leverage this high growth in Internet advertising.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Capital-Efficient StartApp Is A Prospect

According to a recent market research study by the University of Alabama, over 1 billion smartphones are expected to be sold in 2015. Back in 2013, Google’s Android had surpassed 50 billion app downloads and by the year 2014, Apple had recorded 75 billion downloads. These numbers are expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. By 2017, over 268 billion mobile app downloads would be recorded, translating to nearly $77 billion in revenues.

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Billion Dollar Unicorn: Taboola Faces New Competition From Google

The market may be waiting for online content discovery platform and Billion Dollar Unicorn Club member Taboola to go public. But Taboola’s management has no plans to go public soon. Analysts project the content recommendation market to grow from $700 million in 2014 to $3.4 billion by the year 2018. Here is how Taboola is planning to capitalize on that growth.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Splunk is Now Targeting the SMB Segment

A 2014 IDC report estimates the Big Data and Analytics market to grow to $125 billion globally during 2015. Growth in applications that incorporate advanced and predictive analytics, including machine learning, is expected to accelerate during the year. These apps are estimated to grow 65% faster than apps without predictive functionality. Billion Dollar Unicorn player Splunk was set up in 2003 to deliver in this market.

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From E-Commerce to Web 3.0: Amazon Threatens Etsy

In our continued coverage of e-commerce entrepreneurs and their broadening horizons of online user experiences, this post focuses on Etsy’s post-IPO journey.

Earlier I spoke about how the VC funding frenzy has resulted in astronomical valuations for companies making it difficult for them to maintain these valuations if and when they go public. Niche e-commerce player and Billion Dollar Unicorn club member Etsy (NASDAQ: ETSY) is one such player who has seen valuations fluctuate since they went public.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Luxury Retailer Moda Operandi on the Club’s Runway

According to a Bain and Company research report, the global luxury market was estimated to grow 5% in 2014 to €223 billion (~$234.5 billion). Within the market, luxury accessories accounted for 29% of the market and grew 4% over the year. Bain estimates that across all personal luxury categories, the retail channel grew and accounted for 30% of the market. Billion Dollar Unicorn club prospect Moda Operandi is a leading player in this segment.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Funding Circle is UK’s Latest Entry to the Club

According to market reports, the peer-to-peer lending platform market is estimated to be worth $350 billion by the year 2025. Already, there are several Billion Dollar Unicorn club members operating in the space. One such member is UK-based, US-focused Funding Circle.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Twilio is Revolutionizing Telecommunications

According to a MarketsandMarkets report, the global Unified Communication as a Service market is projected to grow 12% annually from $13.1 billion in 2014 to $23.3 billion by the year 2019. San Francisco-based Twilio is a leading player in the market which is helping other customer service providers to reap the benefits of Communication-as-a-Service. Earlier this month, Twilio joined the ranks of the Billion Dollar Unicorn club. >>>