Cisco to Buy Maker of Flip Video for $590M

Cisco Systems Inc. said Thursday it plans to buy Pure Digital, the company behind the popular Flip Video camcorder, for about $590 million in stock.

The deal is part of Cisco's aggressive expansion beyond its core business of making computer networking gear. On Monday, the San Jose, California-based company announced that it would start selling servers for the first time, to compete for a broader share of the money that big organizations spend on the "data centers" that run their computing operations.
Like several other technology companies, Cisco has a large cash hoard - $29.5 billion in its last quarterly update - and is well set to expand during the recession. Chief Executive John Chambers has said a weak economy is an opportunity to invest.
"The acquisition of Pure Digital is key to Cisco's strategy to expand our momentum in the media-enabled home and to capture the consumer market transition to visual networking," said Ned Hooper, senior vice president of Cisco's Corporate Development and Consumer Groups, in a statement.
For San Francisco-based Pure Digital Technologies Inc., the acquisition is a big payday. The privately held company sold its first camera less than two years ago, quickly drawing accolades for its ease of use. A signature feature of the Flip Video is that a USB connector flips out of the case, letting the user connect the camera directly to a computer. Editing software contained on the camera then starts up on the computer.
Pure Digital said it has sold more than 2 million cameras. They cost between $130 and $230.
The deal is expected to close in Cisco's fiscal fourth quarter, which ends in July. Pure Digital's chairman and CEO, Jonathan Kaplan, will become the head of Cisco's Consumer Business Group, which mainly sells under the Linksys brand. Home routers are its main products, but it also launched a wireless home audio system this year.
Investors in Pure Digital have included Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital, Focus Ventures, Crescendo Ventures, Steamboat Ventures, VantagePoint Venture Partners, Samsung Ventures, AllianceBernstein L.P., Morgan Stanley Principal Investments and Heights Capital Management Inc.
As part of the deal, Cisco says it will also provide up to $15 million in stock incentives for Pure Digital employees who stay with the company