Philly Startup Leader Sells Company: Report

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A Philly tech company run by one of the most recognizable faces in the local industry has reportedly been sold.

Artisan Mobile, a Philadelphia-based company that helps apps engage with their users, has been acquired by Tune, a third-party measurement company, according to VenureBeat. 

Artisan CEO Bob Moul declined to comment and terms of the deal are unclear. Moul is also the chairman of Philly Startup Leaders, an organization focused on connecting the area’s tech entrepreneurs. He’s also a fixture at many of the local tech meetups around town.

If it’s actually a done deal, there’s no word yet on whether Tune will keep Artisan at its headquarters on Market Street in Old City or seek a different location. Sources close to the tech community told me that Artisan employees have been interviewing at other firms in recent weeks.

VentureBeat expert John Koetsier said the acquisition “follows a trend in mobile marketing, advertising, and attribution, and that’s to do more in a single [software development kit]. Assuming Tune integrates these capabilities into its existing platform, existing customers will gain that much more insight into their users, the success or failure of their marketing campaigns, and what happens after initial user acquisition. That will all help mobile publishers to be more efficient at growing their business.”

VentureBeat also believes Facebook‘s recent changes to how it handles user data have shaken up the market. Facebook “plans to force third-party measurement companies to strip key device-level attribution data away from the other meta-data they provide to advertisers, essentially making it impossible for advertisers to retarget individuals who have taken certain actions,” the publication said.

Artisan was founded in 2010. In June 2013, Artisan received $5.5 million in Series A financing led by FirstMark Capital. It raised $1.5 million in April 2012.