Microsoft Windows Store opens to third-party Storefront applications; Meesho raises $ 570 million

In today’s ExchangeWire news summary: Microsoft Store opens to third-party storefront apps; Meesho raised $ 570 million; and Sinch acquires Pathwire in a $ 1.9 billion deal.

Microsoft’s App Store has opened up to third-party storefront apps

Microsoft has announced the opening of its Windows store to more third-party storefront apps. The platforms currently benefiting from this tactical announcement are Amazon’s Appstore and the Epic Games Store.

Epic has had a busy few months, challenge Apple’s policies after the tech giant blocked them from the App Store for providing users with alternative payment methods. Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, commented, “We will not stand idly by and let Apple use its platform dominance to control what should be a fair digital playground,” and he is. no wonder Microsoft is trying to take advantage of it. .

The multinational tech company described its functionality as an “open store for an open platform” on a blog post announcing the development – seizing the opportunity to appeal to users as a fairer alternative. By announcing their change as a chance to listen to developers and adapt accordingly, Microsoft will attract security-seeking users when they are on the App Store; especially at a time when companies are under investigation for anti-competitive behavior, like Google.

Development is “also about ensuring that our trading conditions are fair and help promote innovation,” commented Giorgio Sardo, Managing Director of Microsoft Store. Sardo adds: “We look forward to welcoming more stores in the future”, noting that Microsoft is looking to strengthen its influence on the digital distribution of applications.

Meesho raises US $ 570million (£ 424million) in investment

India’s social e-commerce platform Meesho raised US $ 570 million (£ 424 million) in a Series F funding round. The capital was co-led by Fidelity and B Capital Group, and supported by Prosus Ventures; Facebook; SoftBank Vision 2 Fund; and good capital. The funding follows a US $ 300million (£ 223.1million) funding round in April led by current investor SoftBank Vision Fund 2. The company has more than doubled its valuation in five months, now valued at US $ 4.9 billion (£ 3.6 billion).

Meesho was founded in 2015 and allows small business owners and individuals to sell items through social platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. Co-founder Vidit Aatrey praises the company’s growing success, commenting in the press release, “Today, 5% of all Indian households come to shop with us every day.” Aatrey adds, “We will continue to improve our technology stack to allow more people to have seamless experiences on the platform. “

Sinch Acquires Pathwire in $ 1.9 Billion (£ 1.4 Billion) Deal

Communications service provider Sinch has acquired Pathwire, the cloud-based messaging provider, in a deal worth $ 1.9 billion (£ 1.4 billion). The cash and equity deal will continue to make the Swedish communications platform a key potential competitor to Twilio. Sinch will pay the sellers US $ 925 million (£ 688 million) in cash, with an additional 51 million new shares.

According to Hubspot, there are more than four billion daily email users, a statistic Sinch cited when highlighting the importance of acquisition on a blog post posted on their website. Pathwire CEO Will Conway says, “Sinch and Pathwire are a natural fit: the two companies have built their businesses around product excellence, a commitment to positive results for our customers and a focus. on clear and measurable results. “

Also in the blog post, Sinch described Pathwire as their “missing piece.” They add, “Together we are delighted to offer our customers a full stack of unbeatable communications solutions – so you can extend your reach and increase your engagement like never before.”

Acquisitions in email marketing have mushroomed recently, with Intuit Inc. acquiring Mailchimp earlier this month. The deal was worth US $ 12 billion (£ 8.9 billion), making it the largest ever for the maker of TurboTax. Sasan Goodarzi, Managing Director of Intuit, commented, “There is incredible power in combining customer data and purchasing data, and we wanted to put the power of data in the hands of our customers. “