Dive Brief:
- Facebook marketing startup Toro announced late Tuesday its been acquired by Google to join the mobile ads team.
- Toro—a startup that helps developers set up apps on Facebook—is led by co-founders of MyMiniLife Amitt Mahajan and Joel Poloney, who played a key role in the creation of Farmville.
- The startup will continue working with existing companies on Facebook campaigns, but will be shifting focus away from the social platform after the acquisition. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Dive Insight:
In an announcement on the company's blog, Toro writes that the acquisition will give them "greater resources and distribution now available at our disposal," and the company will "continue our mission of making the lives of app developers easier." Whatever capacity Toro ends up working within Google, acquiring a startup that has deep knowledge of Facebook is likely a strategic move to compete against the social giant.
